STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION 
SERVICE 

ITS  HISTORY,  ACTIVITIES 
AND   ORGANIZATION 


THE  INSTITUTE  FOR  GOVERNMENT  RESEARCH 

Washington,  D.  C. 


The  Institute  for  Government  Research  is  an  association  of 
citizens  for  cooperating  with  public  officials  in  the  scientific 
study  of  government  with  a  view  to  promoting  efficiency  and 
economy  in  its  operations  and  advancing  the  science  of  ad- 
ministration. It  aims  to  bring  into  existence  such  informa- 
tion and  materials  as  will  aid  in  the  formation  of  public  opin- 
ion and  will  assist  officials,  particularly  those  of  the  national 
government,  in  their  efforts  to  put  the  public  administration 
upon  a  more  efficient  basis. 

To  this  end,  it  seeks  by  the  thoroughgoing  study  and  exam- 
ination of  the  best  administrative  practice,  public  and  private, 
American  and  foreign,  to  formulate  those  principles  which  lie 
at  the  basis  of  all  sound  administration,  and  to  determine  their 
proper  adaptation  to  the  specific  needs  of  our  public  adminis- 
tration. 

The  accomplishment  of  specific  reforms  the  Institute  recog- 
nizes to  be  the  task  of  those  who  are  charged  with  the  respon- 
sibility of  legislation  and  administration;  but  it  seeks  to  assist, 
by  scientific  study  and  research,  in  laying  a  solid  foundation  of 
information  and  experience  upon  which  such  reforms  may  be 
successfully  built. 

While  some  of  the  Institute's  studies  find  application  only  m 
the  form  of  practical  cooperation  with  the  administrative  of- 
ficers directly  concerned,  many  are  of  interest  to  other  admin- 
istrators and  of  general  educational  value.  The  results  of 
such  studies  the  Institute  purposes  to  publish  in  such  form  as 
will  insure  for  them  the  widest  possible  utilization. 


Robert  S.  Brookings, 

Chairman 


Officers 


Frank  J.  Goodnow, 

Vice-Chairman 


James  F.  Curtis, 

Secretary 

Trustees 

Edwin  A.  Alderman     Edwin  F.  Gay 
Robert  S.  Brookings    Frank  J.  Goodnow 
James  F.  Curtis 
R.  Fulton  Cutting 
Frederic  A.  Delano 
George  Eastman 
Raymond  B.  Fosdick 
Felix  Frankfurter 


Frederick  Strauss, 

Treasurer 


Jerome  D.  Greene 
Arthur  T.  Hadley 
Herbert  C.  Hoover 
A.  Lawrence  Lowell 
Samuel  Mather 
Richard  B.  Mellon 


Charles  D.  Norton 
Martin  A.  Ryerson 
Frederick  Strauss 
Silas  H.  Strawn 
William  H.  Taft 
Ray  Lyman  Wilbur 
Robert  S.  Woodward 


Director 

W.  F.  Willoughby 

Editor 
F.  W.  Powell 


INSTITUTE  FOR  GOVERNMENT  RESEARCH 
SERVICE  MONOGRAPHS 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  GOVERNMENT          .    .  ,,  ; 

No.  8 


STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION 
SERVICE  - 

ITS  HISTORY,  ACTIVITIES 
AND  ORGANIZATION 


BY 

LLOYD  M.  SHORT 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1922 


COPYRIGHT,  1922,  BY 
THE  INSTITUTE  FOR  GOVERNMENT  RESEARCH 


PBINTB0  IK  THE  UNITED  STATES  Or  AKKKIOA 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE 
INSTITUTE  FOR  GOVERNMENT  RESEARCH 


STUDIES  IN  ADMINISTRATION 

The  System  of  Financial  Administration  of  Great  Britain 
By  W.  F.  Willoughby,  W.  W.  Willoughby,  and  S.  M.  Lindsay 
The  Budget 
By  Rene  Stourm 

T.   Plazinski,  Translator;   W.  F.   McCaleb,  Editor 
The  Canadian  Budgetary  System 

By  H.  G.  Villard  and  W.  W.  Willoughby 
The  Problem  of  a  National  Budget 

By  W.  F.  Willoughby 
The  Movement  for  Budgetary  Reform  in  the  States 

By  W.  F.  Willoughby 
Teacher's  Pension  Systems  in  the  United  States 

By  Paul   Studensky 

Organized  Efforts  for  the  Improvement  of  Methods  of  Ad- 
ministration in  the  United  States 
By  Gustavus  A.  Weber 
The  Federal  Service:    A  Study  of  the  System  of  Personal 

Administration  of  the  United  States  Government 
By  Lewis  Mayers 

The    System    of    Financial    Administration    of    the    United 
States   (In  Preparation) 

PRINCIPLES  OF  ADMINISTRATION 

Principles  Governing  the  Retirement  of  Public  Employees 

By  Lewis  Meriam 
Principles  of  Government  Purchasing 

By  Arthur  G.  Thomas 
Principles  of   Government  Accounting  and  Reporting 

By  Francis  Oakey,  C.  P.  A. 
Principles  of   Personnel   Administration 

By  Arthur  W.  Procter 

SERVICE    MONOGRAPHS    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES 
GOVERNMENT 

The  Geological  Survey 

The  Reclamation  Service 

The  Bureau  of  Mines 

The  Alaskan  Engineering  Commission 

The  Tariff  Commission 

The  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education 

The  Federal  Trade  Commission 

The   Steamboat-Inspection  Service 

The  National  Parks  Service 

The  Public  Health  Service 

The  Weather  Bureau 

The  Employee's  Compensation  Commission 


FOREWORD 

The  first  essential  to  efficient  administration  of  any  enter- 
prise is  full  knowledge  of  its  present  make-up  and  operation. 
Without  full  and  complete  information  before  them,  as  to 
existing  organization,  personnel,  plant,  and  methods  of  oper- 
ation and  control,  neither  legislators  nor  administrators  can 
properly  perform  their  functions. 

The  greater  the  work,  the  more  varied  the  activities  en- 
gaged in,  and  the  more  complex  the  organization  employed, 
and  more  imperative  becomes  the  necessity  that  this  informa- 
tion shall  be  available — and  available  in  such  a  form  that  it 
can  readily  be  utilized. 

Of  all  undertakings,  none  in  the  United  States,  and  few,  if 
any,  in  the  world,  approach  in  magnitude,  complexity,  and 
importance  that  of  the  national  government  of  the  United 
States.  As  President  Taft  expressed  it  in  his  message  to  Con- 
gress of  January  17,  1912,  in  referring  to  the  inquiry  being 
made  under  his  direction  into  the  efficiency  and  economy  of  the 
methods  of  prosecuting  public  business,  the  activities  of  the 
national  government  "are  almost  as  varied  as  those  of  the  en- 
tire business  world.  The  operations  of  the  government  affect 
the  interest  of  every  person  living  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  United  States.  Its  organization  embraces  stations  and 
centers  of  work  located  in  every  city  and  in  many  local  sub- 
divisions of  the  country.  Its  gross  expenditures  amotunt  to 
billions  annually.  Including  the  personnel  of  the  military  and 
naval  establishments,  more  than  half  a  million  persons  are  re- 
quired to  do  the  work  imposed  by  law  upon  the  executive 
branch  of  the  government. 

"This  vast  organization  has  never  been  studied  in  detail  as 
one  piece  of  administrative  mechanism.  Never  have  the 
foundations  been  laid  for  a  thorough  consideration  of  the  re- 
lations of  all  its  parts.  No  comprehensive  effort  has  been 
made  to  list  its  multifarious  activities  or  to  group  them  in  such 
a  way  as  to  present  a  clear  picture  of  what  the  government  is 
doing.  Never  has  a  complete  description  been  given  of  the 

agencies  through  which  these  activities  are  performed.     At 

vii 


viii  FOREWORD 

no  time  has  the  attempt  been  made  to  study  all  of  these  acti 
ities  and  agencies  with  a  view  to  the  assignment  of  each  acti 
ity  to  the  agency  best  fitted  for  its  performance,  to  the  avoi 
ance  of  duplication  of  plant  and  work,  to  the  integration  of  ; 
administrative  agencies  of  the  government,  so  far  as  may 
practicable,  into  a  unified  organization  for  the  most  effecti 
and  economical  dispatch  of  public  business." 

To  lay  the  basis  for  such  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  c 
ganization  and  operations  of  the  national  government  as  Pn 
ident  Taft  outlined,  the  Institute  for  Government  Resear 
has  undertaken  the  preparation  of  a  series  of  monographs, 
which  the  present  study  is  one,  giving  a  detailed  description 
each  of  the  fifty  or  more  distinct  services  of  the  governmei 
These  studies  are  being  vigorously  prosecuted,  and  it  is  hop 
that  all  services  of  the  government  will  be  covered  in  a  coi 
paratively  brief  space  of  time.     Thereafter,  revisions  of  t 
monographs  will  be  made  from  time  to  time  as  need  arises, 
the  end  that  they  may,  as  far  as  practicable,  represent  curre 
conditions. 

These  monographs  are  all  prepared  according  to  a  unifor 
plan.  They  give :  first,  the  history  of  the  establishment  ai 
development  of  the  service;  second,  its  functions,  describ 
not  in  general  terms,  but  by  detailing  its  specific  activitie 
third,  its  organization  for  the  handling  of  these  activitie 
fourth,  the  character  of  its  plant;  fifth,  a  compilation  of, 
reference  to,  the  laws  and  regulations  governing  its  operation 
sixth,  financial  statements  showing  its  appropriations,  expe 
ditures  and  other  data  for  a  period  of  years ;  and  finally,  a  fi 
bibliography  of  the  sources  of  information,  official  and  privai 
bearing  on  the  service  and  its  operations. 

In  the  preparation  of  these  monographs  the  Institute  h 
kept  steadily  in  mind  the  aim  to  produce  documents  that  w 
be  of  direct  value  and  assistance  in  the  administration  of  pub' 
affairs.  To  executive  officials  they  offer  valuable  tools  of  a 
ministration.  Through  them,  such  officers  can,  with  a  mi 
imum  of  effort,  inform  themselves  regarding  the  details,  n 
only  of  their  own  services,  but  of  others  with  whose  facilitk 
activities,  and  methods  it  is  desirable  that  they  should  be  f 
miliar.  Under  present  conditions  services  frequently  enga; 
in  activities  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  the  work  project* 
has  already  been  done,  or  is  in  process  of  execution  by  oth 
services.  Many  cases  exist  where  one  service  could  make  e 
fective  use  of  the  organization,  plant  or  results  of  other  ser 


FOREWORD  ix 

ices  had  they  knowledge  that  such  facilities  were  in  existence. 
With  the  constant  shifting  of  directing  personnel  that  takes 
place  in  the  administrative  branch  of  the  national  government, 
the  existence  of  means  by  which  incoming  officials  may  thus 
readily  secure  information  regarding  their  own  and  other  serv- 
ices is  a  matter  of  great  importance. 

To  members  of  Congress  the  monographs  should  prove  of 
no  less  value.  At  present  these  officials  are  called  upon  to 
legislate  and  appropriate  money  for  services  concerning  whose 
needs  and  real  problems  they  can  secure  but  imperfect  infor- 
mation. That  the  possession  by  each  member  of  a  set  of 
monographs,  such  as  is  here  projected,  prepared  according  to 
a  uniform  plan,  will  be  a  great  aid  to  intelligent  legislation 
and  appropriation  of  funds  can  hardly  be  questioned. 

To  the  public,  finally,  these  monographs  will  give  that 
knowledge  of  the  organization  and  operations  of  their  gov- 
ernment which  must  be  had  if  an  enlightened  public  opinion 
is  to  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  conduct  of  governmental 
affairs. 

These  studies  are  wholly  descriptive  in  character.  No  at- 
tempt is  made  in  them  to  subject  the  conditions  described  to 
criticism,  nor  to  indicate  features  in  respect  to  which  changes 
might  with  advantage  be  made.  Upon  administrators  them- 
selves falls  responsibility  for  making  or  proposing  changes 
which  will  result  in  the  improvement  of  methods  of  adminis- 
tration. The  primary  aim  of  outside  agencies  should  be  to 
emphasize  this  responsibility  and  facilitate  its  fulfillment. 

While  the  monographs  thus  make  no  direct  recommenda- 
tions for  improvement,  they  cannot  fail  greatly  to  stimulate 
efforts  in  that  direction.  Prepared  as  they  are  according  to  a 
uniform  plan,  and  setting  forth  as  they  do  the  activities,  plant, 
organization,  personnel  and  laws  governing  the  several  serv- 
ices of  the  government,  they  will  automatically,  as  it  were, 
reveal,  for  example,  the  extent  to  which  work  in  the  same  field 
is  being  performed  by  different  services,  and  thus  furnish  the 
information  that  is  essential  to  a  consideration  of  the  great 
question  of  the  better  distribution  and  coordination  of  activi- 
ties among  the  several  departments,  establishments,  and  bu- 
reaus, and  the  elimination  of  duplications  of  plant,  organiza- 
tion and  work.  Through  them  it  will  also  be  possible  to  sub- 
ject any  particular  feature  of  the  administrative  work  of  the 
government  to  exhaustive  study,  to  determine,  for  example, 
what  facilities,  in  the  way  of  laboratories  and  other  plant  and 


x  FOREWORD 

equipment,  exist  for  the  prosecution  of  any  line  of  work  ar 
where  those  facilities  are  located;  or  what  work  is  being  doi 
in  any  field  of  administration  or  research,  such  as  the  prom< 
tion,  protection  and  regulation  of  the  maritime  interests  of  tl 
country,  the  planning  and  execution  of  works  of  an  enginee 
ing  character,  or  the  collection,  compilation  and  publication  < 
statistical  data,  or  what  differences  of  practice  prevail  in  r 
spect  to  organization,  classification,  appointment,  and  prom 
tion  of  personnel. 

To  recapitulate,  the  monographs  will  serve  the  double  pu 
pose  of  furnishing  an  essential  tool  for  efficient  legislation,  a 
ministration  and  popular  control,  and  of  laying  the  basis  f« 
critical  and  constructive  work  on  the  part  of  those  upon  who 
responsibility  for  such  work  primarily  rests. 

Whenever  possible  the  language  of  official  statements  or  r 
ports  has  been  employed,  and  it  has  not  been  practicable  in  ; 
cases  to  make  specific  indication  of  the  language  so  quoted. 


CONTENTS 

HAPTIB  PAQK 

FOREWORD 

I.     HISTORY  I 
Establishment  and  Early  Growth  of  the  Service:     1838- 

1870 i 

Establishment  of  a  Central  Office:     1871-1903       ...  6 

Development  of  the  Service  Since  1903 16 

II.    ACTIVITIES  28 

Inspection   of    Vessels 30 

Inspection  of  Hulls 31 

Inspection   of   Boilers 35 

Inspection    of    Equipment 37 

Certificates  of  Inspection 43 

Reinspection  of  Vessels .  46 

Inspection  and  Approval  of  Boiler  Plates 48 

Inspection  and  Approval  of  Equipment 49 

Inspection   for  Other  Departments 51 

Examination  and  Licensing  of  Marine  Officers  53 
Examination  and  Certification  of  Seamen  and  Life-Boat 

Men 57 

Determination   of    Ship's   Complement   and   Accommoda- 
tions Therefor        58 

Investigations    of  'Marine    Casualties   and   Violations    of 

Inspection  Laws 60 

Establishment  of  Regulations  to  Prevent  Collisions   .     .  67 

Determination  of  Ship's  Passenger  Allowance  ....  70 

Inspection  of   Passenger  Accommodations 73 

Regulation  of  the  Transportation  of  Dangerous  Articles  75 

II.     ORGANIZATION  80 

General   Administration 80 

Marine   Boiler   Plate  Inspection 83 

Inspection   Service 84 

Conclusion 96 


Outline    of    Organization 100 

Classification  of  Activities 109 

Publications in 

Laws 113 

Financial   Statements 120 

Bibliography 124 

Index  129 


STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE: 

ITS  HISTORY,  ACTIVITIES  AND 

ORGANIZATION 

CHAPTER  I 
HISTORY 

The  United  States  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  a  bureau 
f  the  Department  of  Commerce,  has,  as  its  primary  duty  or 
inction,  the  administration  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States 
lacted  for  the  purpose  of  safeguarding  the  lives  of  passengers 
i  steamboats  and  other  vessels  engaged  in  marine  transporta- 
on.     In  the  performance  of  this  important  function,  the  ser- 
ice  is  chiefly  engaged  in  three  general  types  of  work:     (i) 
he   inspection  of  the  hulls,   machinery,   and   equipment   of 
*ssels  of  the  merchant  marine  of  the  United  States  made 
ibject  to  such  inspection  by  acts  of  Congress;  (2)  the  licens- 
ig  of  the  officers  and  the  certification  of  the  crews  of  such 
>ssels;  (3)  the  conduct  of  trials  and  investigations  to  ascer- 
.in  violations  of  the  steamboat-inspection  laws  and  of  the 
lies  and  regulations  established  for  their  proper  administra- 
on.     The  activities  of  the  service  bring  it  into  close  contact 
ith  several  large  business  interests  of  the  nation  as  well  as 
ith  millions  of  men,  women,  and  children  annually  carried 
/  vessels  subject  to  its  jurisdiction.     Shipbuilders,  manufac- 
irers    of    marine    equipment,    iron    and    steel    mills    rolling 
aterial  for  the  construction  of  boilers,  and  the  manufacturers 
c  marine  boilers, — all  are  vitally  interested  in  and  affected  by 
le  work  of  this  service. 

1 


&:..-<    ,  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Establishment  and  Early  Growth  of  the  Service:  183 
1870.  The  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  had  its  beginni 
in  an  act  of  Congress  approved  July  7,  1838  (5  Stat.  L.,  30. 
the  first  legislation  enacted  by  the  national  government  lo< 
ing  toward  the  "better  security  of  the  lives  of  passengers 
board  of  vessels  propelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  stear. 
Owners  or  masters  of  such  vessels  were  required  to  emp 
a  competent  number  of  experienced  and  skillful  engineers, 
have  the  hulls  of  their  vessels  inspected  every  twelve  mon 
and  the  boilers  of  the  same  every  six  months  to  determ 
their  strength  and  durability,  and  to  provide  their  ships  w 
lifeboats,  signal  lights,  fire  pumps  and  hose,  and  other  equ 
ment  to  insure  protection  of  those  on  board.  A  license  c 
tificate  had  to  be  procured  by  such  owner  or  master,  si 
scribing  to  their  compliance  with  these  requirements,  bef< 
passengers  could  be  carried.  This  act  further  authorized  c 
trict  judges  of  the  United  States  within  whose  district  any  po 
of  entry  or  delivery  might  be,  on  the  navigable  waters,  ba 
lakes,  and  rivers  of  the  United  States  and  "upon  the  appli 
tion  of  the  master,  or  owner  of  any  steamboat  or  vessel  p 
pelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam,  to  appoint  from  time 
time,  one  or  more  persons  skilled  and  competent  to  m; 
inspections  of  such  boats  and  vessels,  and  of  the  boilers  c 
machinery  of  the  same."  The  inspectors  thus  appointed  w 
authorized  to  inspect  such  vessels  when  called  upon  by 
master  or  owner,  receiving  compensation  from  the  own 
of  vessels  inspected  at  the  rate  of  five  dollars  for  each  1: 
and  five  dollars  for  each  boiler.  After  each  inspection, 
inspectors  were  authorized,  if  the  vessel  was  found  to  m 
all  requirements,  to  issue  a  license  certificate  or  certificate 
inspection  to  the  owner  or  master,  which  was  required  to  ' 
posted  up  and  kept  in  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  boat 
the  information  of  the  public."  The  concluding  section 
this  act,  which  initiated  the  inspection  of  steam-vessels  in 
United  States,  provided  that  any  person  employed  on  boar< 
boat  in  which  lives  were  lost  through  his  misconduct,  ne; 


HISTORY  3 

gence,  or  inattention  to  duty  should  be  deemed  guilty  of  man- 
slaughter. 

Several  laws  of  minor  importance  were  passed  in  the  years 
immediately  following  the  act  of  1838  extending  its  provis- 
ions and  making  Certain  modifications  in  its  application.  An 
act  approved  March  3,  1843  (S  Stat.  L.,  626)  provided  for 
additional  steering  apparatus  on  steam-vessels  in  case  of  an 
emergency  such  as  in  the  event  of  the  pilot  being  driven  from 
the  wheel  by  fire.  The  number  of  passengers  that  vessels 
subject  to  the  steamboat  laws  could  carry  was  limited  by  the 
act  of  February  22,  1847  (9  Stat.  L.,  127),  while  the  act  of 
March  3,  1849  (9  Stat.  L.,  399),  extended  the  above  to  in- 
:lude  all  vessels  bound  from  any  port  in  the  United  States  to 
any  port  or  place  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  or  on  its  tributaries  or 
from  any  such  port  or  place  to  any  port  in  the  United  States 
Dn  the  Atlantic  or  its  tributaries. 

The  present  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  however,  dates 
ts  establishment  from  an  act  of  Congress  approved  August  30, 
1852  (10  Stat.  L.,  1852),  and  known  as  the  "Steamboat 
\ct."  Since  this  act  furnished  the  foundation  upon  which 
i  large  part  of  the  service,  as  it  is  at  present  organized,  was 
Duilt,  it  may  be  well  to  examine  its  provisions  somewhat  in 
ietail,  especially  those  pertaining  to  the  administration  of  the 
service.  It  provided  for  the  appointment  of  nine  supervising 
nspectors,  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  Senate,  who  were  to  be  competent  and  experienced 
nen  in  the  construction  and  operation  of  merchant  vessels. 
These  supervising  inspectors  were  required  to  meet  once  a  year 
"or  joint  consultation  and  to  establish  rules  and  regulations 
or  the  uniform  administration  of  the  inspection  laws.  At 
his  joint  session,  the  supervising  inspectors  were  also  to 
issign  to  each  of  their  number  the  limits  of  the  territory 
>ver  which  he  should  exercise  supervision  and  control.  A 
letailed  description  of  the  nature  of  the  work  of  these  super- 
rising  inspectors  will  be  reserved  for  a  later  chapter,  but  it 
s  sufficient  to  note  here  that  they  were  charged  with  the  super- 


4  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

vision  of  the  work  of  the  local  inspectors  within  their  r 
spective  districts,  to  assist  in  the  actual  work  of  inspectic 
when  necessary,  to  report  cases  of  neglect,  carelessness  ar 
inefficiency  among  local  inspectors  to  the  Secretary  of  tl 
Treasury,  who  was  given  the  power  of  removal,  and  to  fu 
nish  the  latter  with  technical  information  on  matters  pertai] 
ing  to  the  welfare  of  the  service.  The  supervising  inspecto 
were  to  receive  a  salary  of  $1500  per  annum  and  all  necessai 
and  reasonable  traveling  expenses  incurred  in  the  performan< 
of  their  duties. 

The  provisions  of  this  act,  in  regard  to  the  appointment  ( 
local  inspectors,  superseded  the  act  of  1838.  For  certain  co 
lection  districts  specifically  enumerated  in  the  act,  two  inspe 
tors  were  to  be  appointed  by  a  commission  consisting  of  tl 
collector  or  other  chief  officer  of  customs  of  the  distric 
the  supervising  inspector  in  charge  of  the  district,  and  tl 
judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  and  approved  t 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  The  compensation  of  the 
local  inspectors,  to  be  known  as  the  inspector  of  hulls  and  tl 
inspector  of  boilers,  was  definitely  fixed  by  the  act,  and  rang< 
from  $200  to  $2000  per  annum,  being  based  upon  the  est 
mated  amount  of  work  required  in  the  various  districts.  Fe< 
for  the  inspection  of  vessels  and  the  issuance  of  license  ce 
tificates  to  officers  of  the  same  were  to  be  turned  over  to  tl 
collector  of  customs  who  would  remit  the  same  to  the  Tre 
surer  of  the  United  States.  In  addition  to  their  work  in  tl 
inspection  of  vessels,  the  local  inspectors,  acting  as  a  boar 
were  authorized  to  license  and  classify  all  engineers  and  pile 
of  steamers  carrying  passengers.  Appeals  were  permitted 
be  taken  from  the  decisions  of  the  local  boards  to  the  supe 
vising  inspector  of  the  district.  The  act  also  prescribed  a 
ditional  requirements  for  vessels,  such  as  precautions  again 
fire,  additional  life-saving  equipment,  and  a  special  licen 
to  carry  certain  dangerous  or  inflammable  articles. 

In  addition  to  approving  the  appointment  of  local  inspe 
tors,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  authorized  by  tl 


HISTORY  5 

act  of  1852  to  receive  reports  from  the  board  of  supervising 
inspectors,  to  inquire  into  the  operation  of  the  inspection 
laws,  and  to  make  recommendations  to  Congress.  Accord- 
ingly a  personal  agent  of  the  Treasury  Department  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Secretary  to  collect  information  as  to  the  work 
of  the  service  and  to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  board  of  super- 
vising inspectors.  The  reports  of  this  officer,  together  with 
the  annual  reports  of  the  proceedings  of  the  board  of  super- 
vising inspectors,  furnished  the  Secretary  with  information  as 
to  the  needs  of  the  service  upon  which  to  base  his  recom- 
mendations to  Congress.  The  rather  prevalent  hostility  and 
opposition  to  the  inspection  laws  in  the  years  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  passage  of  the  "Steamboat  Act,"  especially  among 
the  officers  and  owners  of  vessels,  was  later  greatly  minimized 
by  the  increasing  and  apparent  benefits  of  their  operation. 
The  board  of  supervising  inspectors  in  their  annual  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1862,  noted  particularly  this  changed  attitude  on  the  part 
of  those  directly  affected  by  the  work  of  the  inspection  serv- 
ice :  "A  general  admission  of  the  great  utility  of  the  laws  and 
expressions  of  satisfaction  at  the  results  which  have  followed 
its  observance,  which  to  those  interested  in  such  property 
is  now  fully  apparent,  has  now  taken  the  place  of  the  original 
opposition  with  which  the  inspectors  were  met  in  many  in- 
stances; and  incomplete  as  this  law  may  be,  in  some  respects, 
the  cause  of  almost  every  accident  to  passenger  steamers 
which  now  occurs  can  be  readily  traced  to  a  violation  of  its 
provisions,  or  of  the  regulations  of  this  board  made  pursuant 
thereto." 

Numerous  acts  were  passed,  following  the  reorganization  of 
:he  service  in  1852,  usually  upon  recommendations  made  to 
Congress  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  which  served  to 
enlarge  the  work  of  the  service  by  providing  new  inspection 
iistricts  and  imposing  additional  requirements  upon  the 
>wner  of  steam-vessels.  The  provisions  of  these  acts,  in 
summary  form,  are  as  follows: 


6  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

(1)  Joint  resolution  of  March  3,  1853  (10  Stat.  L.,  262 
defining  more  specifically  the  duties  of  inspectors  under  t 
"Steamboat  Act." 

(2)  Act  of  March  3,  1855   (to  Stat.  L.,  715),  regulatii 
the  carriage  of  passengers  on  steam-vessels  both  as  to  nur 
ber  and  accommodations  therefor. 

(3)  Act  of  June  8,  1864  (13  Stat.  L.,  120),  making  pr 
vision  for  an  additional  supervising  inspector  and  two  loc 
boards,  and  abolishing  one  local  inspection  district.     The  a 
of  1852  was  also  extended  to  include  ferry-boats,  tug-boa 
and  canal-boats  carrying  passengers  for  hire. 

(4)  Act  of  July  4,  1864  (13  Stat.  L.,  390),  further  reg 
lating  the  carriage   of  passengers   on   steamboats   and   oth 
vessels. 

(5)  Act  of  March  3,  1865  (13  Stat.  L.,  514),  providing  f 
two  local  assistant  inspectors  and  one  additional  local  insrx 
tion  board,  and  reestablishing  the  inspection  district  abolish 
the  previous  year. 

(6)  Act  of  July  25,  1866  (14  Stat.  L.,  227),  further  pr 
viding  for  the  safety  and  accommodation  of  passengers,  a: 
fixing  the  salaries  of  local  inspectors. 

Establishment  of  a  Central  Office:  1871-1903.  The  act 
1852,  while  giving  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  a  certs 
amount  of  indirect  supervision  over  the  work  of  the  Steal 
boat-Inspection  Service,  failed  to  place  the  service  definite 
under  the  direction  and  control  of  any  one  of  the  executi 
departments,  without  which  the  necessary  and  proper  dirt 
tion  and  control  could  not  be  had.  This  serious  defect  in  t 
Steamboat  Act  was  pointed  out  by  the  special  agent  of  t 
Treasury  Department  in  his  reports  to  the  Secretary  of  t 
Treasury  as  early  as  1855.  In  his  report  dated  November 
1855,  that  officer  said: 

The  system  is  at  present  without  an  efficient  head.  T 
president  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  is,  from  t 
necessity  of  the  case,  little  more  than  a  moderator  of  debal 


HISTORY  7 

at  their  annual  meetings.  The  powers  that  the  law  confers 
on  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  are  very  limited.  A  body 
without  a  head  is  a  monster;  and  so  likewise  is  a  body  with 
nine  heads.  With  the  Union  divided  into  nine  districts,  and 
the  supervising  inspector  in  each  district  exercising  a  wide 
discretion  in  regard  to  rules  and  regulations,  there  has  been 
no  uniformity  in  the  operation  of  the  act.  It  is  only  at 
Washington  City,  where  the  accounts  are  collected  from  all 
quarters,  that  there  can  be  a  proper  supervision  of  the  system. 
Whether  this  should  be  by  a  Supervisor-General,  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury,  or  by  a  board  especially  constituted 
for  that  purpose,  is  for  the  wisdom  of  Congress  to  deter- 
mine. ...  As  at  present  constituted,  the  board  of  supervis- 
ing inspectors  is  an  anomaly.  All  the  other  officers  of  the 
government  are,  in  some  way,  brought  under  suitable  respon- 
sibility, either  to  the  President  or  to  the  head  of  some  depart- 
nent. 

Some  effort  must  have  been  made  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  under  the  limited  authority  granted  to  him  by  the 
ict  of  1852,  to  provide  such  a  head  for  the  service,  for  we 
ind  that  a  report  was  made  to  him  in  1870,  on  a  proposed 
)ill  to  reorganize  the  service,  by  the  Chief  of  the  Steamboat- 
inspection  Division.1  The  chief  of  this  division,  in  all  prob- 
ibility  created  by  departmental  order,  commented  favorably 
m  the  work  of  the  special  agent  detailed  by  the  Secretary  of 
he  Treasury  in  1852  to  report  on  the  operations  of  the  serv- 
ce  and  to  draw  up  the  proposed  bill.  The  appropriation  acts 
ror  the  fiscal  years  ending  June,  30,  1870  and  1871,  provid- 
ng  for  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  contain  items  cov- 
ering the  salary  and  traveling  expenses  of  this  special  agent 
>f  the  department.2 

The  proposed  bill  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
n  1870,  by  the  chief  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Division, 

1  Diligent  search  of  the  available  records  and  appropriation  acts, 
is  well  as  inquiries  directed  to  the  present  head  of  the  bureau,  have 
ailed  to  reveal  at  what  time  and  by  what  authority  such  a  division 
n  the  Treasury  Department  was  organized. 

2  Act  of  March  3,  1869   (15  Stat  L.,  301);  and  act  of  July  15, 
870  (16  Stat.  L.,  291). 


8  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

which  had  been  approved  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspec 
tors,  was  the  subject  of  legislation  passed  by  Congress  an< 
approved  February  28,  1871  (16  Stat.  L.,  440).  By  th 
terms  of  this  act,  which  marks  a  third  important  step  in  th 
development  of  steamboat  inspection,  the  recommendation 
previously  noted  for  an  administrative  head  of  the  servic 
were  given  recognition  in  the  creation  of  the  office  of  "Super 
vising  Inspector-General"  who,  under  the  direction  of  the  Sec 
retary  of  the  Treasury,  should  have  immediate  direction  an< 
supervision  over  the  entire  work  of  the  service.  This  officer 
who  was  to  be  appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with  th 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  selected  with  referenc 
to  his  fitness  and  ability  to  systematize  and  carry  into  effec 
all  the  provisions  of  law  relating  to  the  Steamboat-Inspectioi 
Service,  was  granted  a  salary  of  $3500  per  annum,  in  addi 
tion  to  traveling  expenses  incurred  in  the  performance  of  hi 
duties  at  the  rate  of  ten  cents  per  mile. 

The  joint  meeting  of  the  supervising  inspectors,  first  pro 
vided  for  in  the  act  of  1852,  was  now  given  a  more  definit 
status.  The  supervising  inspectors  together  with  the  Super 
vising  Inspector-General,  were  to  assemble  as  a  board,  a 
Washington  once  a  year,  and  at  such  other  times  as  the  Secrc 
tary  of  the  Treasury  might  prescribe,  for  joint  consultatio 
and  for  assignment  to  each  of  their  number  the  limits  of  th 
territory  within  which  he  should  perform  his  duties.  Th 
board  was  vested  with  authority  to  establish  all  necessar 
rules  and  regulations  required  for  the  proper  and  uniform  ac 
ministration  of  the  inspection  laws,  and  such  regulation: 
when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  should  hav 
the  full  force  of  law. 

With  one  exception,  the  act  of  1871  superseded  or  repeale 
all  previous  legislation  on  the  subjects  of  inspection,  licem 
ing  of  officers,  and  the  transportation  of  passengers  and  mei 
chandise  on  vessels  propelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam 

3  The  exception  here  noted  is  that  section  of  the  act  of  August  3< 
1852,  which  provided  for  the  punishment  and  the  forfeiture  c 


HISTORY  9 

"All  steam-vessels  navigating  any  waters  of  the  United  States 
which  are  common  highways  of  commerce,  or  open  to  general 
or  competitive  navigation,  excepting  public  vessels  of  the 
United  States,  vessels  of  other  countries,  and  boats  pro- 
pelled in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam  for  navigating  canals," 
were  made  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  act.  Despite 
•frequent  modifications  and  amendments  that  have  been  made 
from  time  to  time,  the  basic  activities  and  organization  of  the 
Steamboat-Inspection  Service  as  thus  established  have  re- 
mained practically  without  change  up  to  the  present  time. 

There  will  be  reserved  for  the  next  chapter  a  detailed 
analysis  of  the  activities  of  the  service,  as  authorized  by  the 
act  of  1871  and  modified  by  subsequent  amendments  and  ad- 
ditions thereto,  only  the  more  important  provisions  of  the 
act  enlarging  the  scope  of  the  service  being  noted  here.  The 
following  gives  a  brief  resume  of  the  contents  of  these  pro- 
visions : 

(1)  The  respective  duties  of  the  various  branches  of  the 
service,   namely   the   Supervising   Inspector-General,   the  dis- 
trict supervising  inspectors,  and  the  local  inspectors  were  out- 
lined in  detail; 

(2)  The  board  of  supervising  inspectors  was  authorized 
to  establish  such  regulations  to  be  observed  by  all  steam-ves- 
sels in  passing  each  other  as  they  should  from  time  to  time 
deem  necessary  for  safety; 

(3)  Additional  boards  and  local  inspectors  were  authorized 
and  the  qualifications  of  such  officers  were  set  down  in  greater 
detail ; 

(4)  Ferry-boats,  canal-boats,  yachts,  and  other  small  craft 
of  like  character  propelled  by  steam,  tug-boats,  towing-boats, 
and  freight-boats  were  made  subject  to  the  laws  for  the  in- 
spection of  vessels  and  the  licensing  of  engineers  and  pilots ; 

(5)  Reinspections  were  authorized  to  be  made  by  local  in- 
spectors at  proper  times,  to  ascertain  the  safety  of  vessels  for 

office  of  steamboat  inspectors  receiving  any  fee  or  reward  for  their 
services,  except  that  allowed  by  law. 


io       •    STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

the  purposes  of  navigation  and  to  detect  violations  of  the  it 
spection  laws; 

(6)  Additional  requirements  were  imposed  upon  the  ownei 
of   vessels   to  provide   for   the   safety  and   comfort   of   pa, 
sengers ; 

(7)  Collectors  of  customs  were  forbidden  to  license,  regi; 
ter  or  enroll  any  vessel  propelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steal 
until  satisfied  that  all  provisions  concerning  the  regulation  c 
such  vessels  had  been  complied  with; 

(8)  The  states  were  prohibited  from  imposing  upon  pilo 
of  steam- vessels  any  obligation  to  procure  a  state  or  oth( 
license  in  addition  to  that  issued  by  the  United  States;  and 

(9)  The  issuance   of   licenses   by  the  boards   of   local   ii 
spectors   to   masters,   chief   mates,    engineers,   and   pilots   c 
steam-vessels  was   made  the  subject  of   detailed   regulatioi 
especially  with  regard  to  the  qualifications  of  applicants  fc 
such  licenses,  and  the  local  inspectors  were  given  power  1 
revoke  the  licenses  of  officers  in  case  of  "bad,  intemperal 
habits,  incapacity,  inattention  to  duty,  or  the.  willful  violatio 
of  any  provisions  of  this  act." 

It  is  significant,  as  was  especially  brought  out  in  a  brie 
history  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  prepared  undt 
the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  an 
contained  in  a  work  known  as  the  "Organization  and  Law  c 
the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,"  published  in  190, 
that  the  act  of  1871  was  directed  toward  the  promotion  c 
the  security  of  the  lives  of  all  persons  on  board  steam-vessel 
thereby  giving  the  officers  and  crews  of  such  vessels  the  la\\ 
ful  protection  that  formerly  extended  only  to  passengers. 

Following  the  passage  of  the  important  act  of  1871,  whic 
has  been  characterized  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-Genera 
in  his  annual  report  for  1905,  as  being,  without  doubt  "tr 
wisest  legislation  ever  devised  upon  these  lines,"  the  subje< 
of  steamboat  inspection  received  frequent  attention  from  Cor 
gress.  Numerous  acts  were  passed  from  1872  to  1903  wit 
the  purpose  of  making  more  efficient  and  inclusive  the  wor 


HISTORY  ii 

of  the  service.  A  great  many  of  these  laws,  however,  were 
enacted  only  after  urgent  and  repeated  recommendations  had 
been  made  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  in  their  annual  reports.  A  brief 
summary  of  the  content  of  the  most  important  of  these  acts 
follows : 

(1)  Act  of  April  17,  1874  (18  Stat.  L.,  30),  authorizing 
the  issuance  of  engineers'  and  pilots'  licenses  by  the  boards  of 
local  inspectors,  to  aliens  who  had  declared  their  intention  of 
becoming  citizens  of  the  United  States.4 

(2)  Act  of  August  2,  1882  (22  Stat.  L.,  186),  known  as 
"The  Passenger  Act  1882,"  superseding  all  prior  acts  seek- 
ing to  regulate  the  transportation  of  passengers  on   steam- 
vessels.     Collectors  of  customs  were  authorized  to  direct  in- 
spectors to  examine  vessels  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  number  of  passengers  such  vessels  could  carry  with  safety 
and  the  accommodations,  such  as  hospital  facilities,  food,  and 
deck  space  provided  therefor. 

(3)  Act  of  August  7,  1882  (22  Stat.  L.,  346),  providing 
that  all  foreign  private  steam-vessels  carrying  passengers  from 
any  port  of  the  United  States  to  any  other  place  or  country 
should  be  subject  to  the  laws  for  the  regulation  of  steam- 
vessels.     The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  authorized  to 
appoint  sixteen  "special  inspectors  of  foreign  steam-vessels," 
at  a  salary  of  $2000  per  annum,  who  should  make  reports  to 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  under  such  regulations  as 
should  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

(4)  Act  of  March  3,  1885   (23  Stat.  L.,  438),  adopting 
the  "Revised  International  Rules  and  Regulations   for  Pre- 
venting Collisions  at  Sea,"  to  be  followed  in  the  navigation 
of  all  public  and  private  vessels  of  the  United  States  upon 
the  high  seas  or  in  the  coast  waters  of  the  United  States. 

(5)  Act  of  June  19,  1886  (24  Stat.  L.,  79),  abolishing  the 
collection  of  all  fees  heretofore  charged,  for  the  rendering  of 

4  Previous  to  the  passage  of  this  act,  the  issuance  of  such  licenses 
had  been  restricted  by  law  to  citizens  of  the  United  States. 


12  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

certain  services,  by  collectors  of  customs  and  inspectors  c 
steam-vessels,  to  American  vessels.  Collectors  and  inspecto: 
were  required  to  make  a  detailed  report  of  service  performe 
and  fees  provided  by  law  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
and  that  officer  was  authorized  to  allow  and  pay  said  office: 
for  such  services,  as  each  would  have  received  prior  to  tl 
passage  of  this  act,  out  of  money  in  the  Treasury  not  othe 
wise  appropriated.5 

(6)  Act  of  January  22,   1894   (28  Stat.  L.,  28),  autho 
izing  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  under  the  directic 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  to  detail  assistant  inspecto' 
from  any  local   inspection  district  where   such  assistant  ii 
spectors  were  employed,  to  inspect  iron  and  steel  boiler  plat< 
at  the  mills  where  the  same  were  manufactured.     Materi, 
for  the  manufacture  of  marine  boilers,  when  bearing  the  stair 
of  an  assistant  inspector  so  detailed,  was  to  be  accepted  t 
local   inspectors   as  being  in   full   compliance  with  the  rul< 
of  the  supervising  inspectors  with  regard  to  the  inspectic 
of  boiler  plates.6' 

(7)  Act  of  March  i,  1895  (28  Stat.  L.,  699),  abolishin 
the  office  of  "special  inspector  of  foreign  steam-vessels,"  i 
created  by  the  act  of  August  7,  1882,  previously  quoted.     Tl: 
inspection  of  foreign  vessels  was  thereafter  to  be  a  part  c 
the  duties  of  the  local  inspectors  and  their  assistants.     A< 
ditional  boards  of  local  inspectors  were  established  and  tl 
salaries  of  all  local  inspectors  were  based  upon  the  numbt 
of  vessels  inspected  during  the  preceding  year,  ranging  froi 
$1200  to  $2500  per  annum.     The  act  further  authorized  tl: 

15  As  previously  noted,  the  payment  of  fees  to  the  inspectors  c 
vessels  for  their  services  was  abolished  by  the  act  of  1852,  but  th 
salaries  of  such  officers  as  fixed  by  law  had  been  paid,  up  to  th 
time,  out  of  receipts  from  fees  derived  from  the  inspection  of  vesse 
and  the  licensing  of  officers.  The  annual  reports  of  the  Supervisin 
Inspector-General  show  that  the  receipts  from  these  sources  wei 
more  than  sufficient  to  cover  the  salaries  and  contingent  expense 
of  the  service. 

6  In  his  annual  report  for  1893,  the  Supervising  Inspector-Gener; 
urged  that  provision  be  made  for  the  inspection  of  boiler  plates  ; 
the  mills. 


HISTORY  13 

appointment  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  upon  the 
nomination  of  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  district,  of  as- 
sistant inspectors  in  collection  districts  where  225  or  more 
steamers  were  inspected  annually.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  was  also  given  power  to  appoint  clerks  for  the 
boards  of  local  inspectors  in  the  above  districts.  The  com- 
pensation of  these  additional  employees  of  the  service  was  fixed 
by  the  act,  and  traveling  expenses  for  all  officers  of  the  ser- 
vice were  thereafter  to  be  allowed  at  the  rate  of  eight  cents 
per  mile.7 

(8)  By  an  executive  order  issued  on  March  2,  1896,  all  the 
employees  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  and  the  super- 
vising inspectors,  who  are  appointed  by  the  President,  were 
placed  in  the  classified  civil  service.8 

7  It  is  significant  to  note  that  two  of  the  important  changes  made 
in  the  service  by  this  act  had  been  repeatedly  urged  by  the  Supervis- 
ing Inspector-General  in  his  annual  reports.     In  the  first  place,  that 
officer  specifically  recommended  the  repeal  of  the  act  creating  the 
office  of  "special  inspector  of  foreign  steam-vessels"  in  his  reports 
for  1889  and  1890,  on  the  ground  that  the  need  for  such  special  in- 
spectors ceased  to  exist  when  the  act  of  June  19,   1886,  abolishing 
the  collection  of  all  fees,  was  approved.     At  the  time  of  the  passage 
of  the  act  of  August  7,   1882,  requiring  the  inspection   of   foreign 
vessels,  the  expenses  of  the  service  were  paid  out  of  the  receipts 
from  fees,  and  such  fees  could  not  legally  be  diverted  to  pay  the 
salaries  and  expenses  of  inspectors  of   foreign  vessels.     Since  the 
inspectors  were  paid  on  an  annual  fixed  salary  basis  after  1886,  how- 
ever,  they  could   perform   this   additional   service,   which   was   not 
heavy,  without  additional  expense  to  the  government. 

In  the  second  place,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  had  fre- 
quently called  attention  to  the  inequalities  in  the  salaries  of  local 
inspectors  as  fixed  by  the  act  of  1871,  in  comparison  with  the  amount 
of  work  they  were  called  upon  to  do,  and  specifically  recommended 
in  his  annual  report  for  1893  a  minimum  salary  of  $1500  and  amounts 
in  excess  of  that  sum  based  upon  the  number  of  vessels  inspected. 

8  As  early  as   1880,  the   Supervising  Inspector-General  expressed 
dissatisfaction  with  the  method  of  appointment  of  local  inspectors, 
namely,  by  a  commission  consisting  of  the  supervising  inspector  of 
the  district,  the  collector  of  customs,  and  the  United  States  district 
judge, — a  system   dating  back  to  1852 — and  urged  the  appointment 
of  the  local  inspectors  from  among  the  list  of  masters  or  pilots  and 
engineers  licensed  by  the  service,  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
upon  nomination  by  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  district.     In 


I4  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

(9)  Act  of  May  28,  1896  (29  Stat.  L.,  188),  making  fi 
years  the  term  of  all  licenses  issued  to  officers  of  steam-vesse 
and  providing  for  their  renewal  at  any  time  before  their  e 
piration.     The   act   defined   what  vessels   should   be  deem 
"vessels  of  the  United  States,"  and  required  that  the  office 
of  such  vessels  having  charge  of  a  watch,  including  pilo 
should  in  all  cases  be  citizens  of  the  United  States.     It  w 
provided,  however,  that  this  latter  requirements  should  not 
construed  to  modify  or  repeal  the  act  of  April  17,  1874. 

(10)  Act  of  January  18,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  489),  subje- 
ing  all  vessels  of  above  fifteen  tons  burden,  carrying  freig 
or  passengers   for  hire,  propelled  by  gas,  fluid,  naphtha, 
electric  motors,  to  the  provisions  of  law  relating  to  the  i 
spection  of  hulls  and  boilers  of  vessels  and  to  the  licensi 
of  engineers  and  pilots;  also  to  the  regulations  establish 
by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  with  regard  to  ligh 
fog  signals,  steering,  and  sailing  rules.9 

regard  to  the  appointment  by  commission,  he  said:  'The  pres< 
mode  of  appointment  by  a  commission  consisting  of  the  supervisi 
inspector,  the  collector  of  customs,  and  the  judge  of  the  distr 
court,  while  good  in  theory,  is  not  found  to  be  so  in  practice,  sii 
it  frequently  happens  that  the  lay  members  of  the  board  are  rm 
anxious  for  the  success  of  a  favorite  candidate  than  for  the  efficier 
of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service.  Therefore  I  would  have  • 
nomination  of  inspectors  made  by  the  supervising  inspector  alone,  w 
would  then  be  solely  responsible  if  unsuitable  appointments  sho 
be  made,  and  who  would  be  subject  to  the  discipline  of  the  depa 
ment  for  all  errors  in  that  respect."  This  recommendation  v 
repeated  in  1886  and  again  in  1890. 

In  his  annual  report  for  1898,  following  the  issuance  of  the  ab( 
executive  order,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  declared  that 
placing  of  the  employees  of  the  service  under  the  classified   ci 
service  was  not  a  success  for  two  reasons:   (a)   Serious  delay  in 
work  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission  and  (b)   A  lack  of  suffici 
candidates  because  of  the  aversion  of  applicants  toward  taking 
examination.     He   again   advocated   nomination   by  the   supervis 
inspectors  and  approval  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and 
moval   only   in   case   of    incompetency,    inefficiency,    misconduct, 
physical  or  mental  disability;  and  for  those  causes  only  when  pro-1 
before   a   committee   of  three   supervising   inspectors   appointed 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General.     This  recommendation,  howe\ 
has  never  received  the  approval  of  Congress. 

9  The    Supervising    Inspector-General,    in    his    annual    report 
1888,  called  special  attention  to  an  accident  that  had  occurred  dur 


HISTORY  15 

(n)  Act  of  February  15,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  530),  reduc- 
ing the  rate  allowed  for  traveling  expenses  of  all  inspectors 
in  the  service  from  eight  to  five  cents  per  mile. 

(12)  Act  of  March  3,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  687),  authoriz- 
ing the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  direct  the  inspection  of 
any   foreign   vessel  admitted   to   American   registry  and  the 
issuance  of  the  usual  certificate  of  inspection,  the  tests  in  such 
inspections  to  be  the  same  in  all  respects  as  were  required  in 
the  inspection  of  American  vessels. 

(13)  Act  of  March  23,  1898   (30  Stat.  L.,  340),  extend- 
ing the  provision  in  the  act  of   1871   which  authorized  in- 
spectors to  examine,  license,  and  classify  chief  mates  of  steam- 
vessels,  to  include  chief  mates  of  ocean  or  coastwise  steam- 
vessels,  second  or  third  mates  of  such  vessels  in  charge  of  a 
watch,  and  mates  of  river  steamers. 

(14)  Act  of  April  21,  1898  (30  Stat.  L.,  360),  creating  an 
additional  board  of  local  inspectors. 

(15)  Act  of  December  21,  1898  (30  Stat.  L.,  764),  ex- 
tending the  provisions  for  the  inspection  of  vessels  and  the 
licensing  of  officers  to  include  sail  vessels  of  over  700  tons 
and  all  other  vessels  or  barges  of  over  100  tons  burden  carry- 
ing passengers  for  hire.10 

(16)  Act  of  February  15,  1902  (32  Stat.  L.,  34),  amend- 
ing the  act  of  August  7,   1882,  which  provided  for  the  in- 
spection of   foreign  steam- vessels,  by  authorizing  the  recip- 
rocal recognition  of  the  inspection  of  hulls,  boilers,  and  equip- 
ment, by  foreign  countries,  in  the  case  of  foreign  passenger 
steamers  belonging  to  countries  having  inspection  laws  similar 
to  or  approximating  those  of  the  United  States. 

the  year.  A  steamer  had  collided  with  a  naphtha  launch,  and  upon 
investigation,  the  board  of  local  inspectors  placed  the  blame  on  the 
pilot  of  the  launch.  Using  this  as  an  example  he  urged  the  desira- 
bility of  extending  the  inspection  laws  to  include  motor  boats. 

10  The  action  thus  taken  was  recommended  almost  forty  years 
before,  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  in  its  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  for  1860.  Attention  was  called  to  the 
frequent  accidents  involving  sail  vessels  and  the  recommendation 
made  that  the  act  of  1852  be  extended  to  include  such  vessels. 


16  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

This  review  of  the  rapid  development  of  the  Steamboat-I 
spection  Service  following  the  establishment  of  a  central  off 
for  the  service  in  1871,  serves  to  indicate  the  growing  i: 
portance  of  this  bureau  and  the  recognition  by  Congress  tl 
it  was  performing  a  function  vitally  necessary  to  the  proj 
protection  of  the  lives  of  those  who  were  subject  to  the  dang< 
of  navigation.  Attention  is  also  called  to  the  direct  influei 
exercised  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  upon  legis 
tion  looking  toward  an  enlarged  scope  of  the  activities  of  1 
service  and  improvement  in  its  personnel  and  administrat 
organization. 

Development  of  the  Service  Since  1903.  Together  witl 
considerable  number  of  other  'bureaus  performing  a  vari< 
of  functions,  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  was  at  fi 
organized  within  the  Treasury  Department.  There  was 
logical  basis  for  this  arrangement  except  perhaps  1 
fact  that  the  customs  officers  were  charged  with  the  enfor 
ment  of  the  inspection  laws.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  v 
made  in  1882-1883  to  transfer  this  service,  together  w 
other  bureaus  at  that  time  organized  within  the  Treasury  I 
partment,  such  as  the  Revenue  Marine  Service,  the  Coast  c 
Geodetic  Survey,  the  Marine-Hospital  Service,  the  Life-S. 
ing  Service,  the  Lighthouse  Board,  and  the  Revenue-Cut 
Service,  to  the  Navy  Department, — all  to  be  grouped  un 
a  Bureau  of  Mercantile  Marine  in  the  latter  Department, 
bill  was  introduced  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on  J 
uary  2,  1883,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Secretary 
the  Navy  to  affect  this  transfer,  but  it  met  with  decided 
position  from  the  heads  of  these  various  bureaus.11 

11  The  main  objection  voiced  by  all  of  the  officers  concerned  ^ 
the  undesirability  of  intrusting  the  administration  of  the  civil  1; 
of  the  country  to  an  armed  branch  of  the  government,  suppoi 
and  maintained  for  war  purposes  only.  Two  additional  object! 
were  voiced  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  against  the  tre 
fer  of  his  particular  service,  namely,  (i)  That,  while  admitting 
the  part  of  naval  officers  superior  educational,  theoretical, 
technical  knowledge,  yet  the  inspection  of  boilers  and  machinery  " 
an  operation  requiring  practical  knowledge  and  experience,  quali 


HISTORY  17 

A  proposal  for  administrative  reorganization  introduced  in 
the  Senate  on  December  4,  1901,  met  a  more  favorable  recep- 
tion. It  was  proposed  to  establish  a  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor  "to  foster,  promote  and  develop  the  foreign  and 
domestic  commerce,  the  mining,  manufacturing,  shipping,  and 
fishery  industries,  the  labor  interests,  and  the  transportation 
facilities  of  the  United  States,"  and  to  transfer  to  the  new 
department  all  bureaus  connected  with,  and  germane  to  the 
work  and  duties  thus  assigned  to  it.  The  bill  was  received 
in  the  House  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Interstate  and 
Foreign  Commerce  on  January  30,  1902,  which  committee 
reported  favorably  to  the  House  on  January  6,  1903.  Not  all 
of  the  proposed  changes,  however,  were  supported.  With 
regard  to  the  transfer  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  to 
the  new  department,  the  committee  reported :  "Possibly  the 
Steamboat-Inspection  Service  might  be  transferred  without 
great  injury  to  the  public  interests,  but  that  bureau  has  largely 
to  do  with  collectors  of  customs  at  the  different  ports,  and 
it  has  not  been  thought  wise  by  your  committee  at  this  time 
to  recommend  its  transfer."  The  proposed  bill,  as  finally 
passed,  was  substantially  that  introduced  in  the  Senate  in 
1901.  The  act  was  approved  by  the  President  on  February 
14,  1903  (32  Stat.  L.,  825).  By  the  express  provisions  of 
the  act,  all  the  duties,  power,  authority  and  jurisdiction, 
whether  supervisory,  appellate,  or  otherwise,  previously  im- 
posed or  conferred  upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  by 
acts  of  Congress,  an<J  relating  to  the  control  of  American  and 
foreign  shipping  or  to  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  and 
officers  thereof,  was  transferred  to,  and  imposed  upon  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor. 

Following  the  transfer  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Ser- 
in which  the  naval  officers  were  the  inferiors  of  civilian  boiler- 
inspectors,  and  (2)  that  the  proposed  change  would  subject  licensed 
officers  of  steam-vessels  to  a  technical  and  impractical  examination 
that  a  large  number  of  them  could  not  pass,  though  having  superior 
practical  qualifications  for  the  vocation  they  had  been  following, 
and  having,  in  the  past,  largely  contributed  to  the  support  of  the 
inspection  service. 


i8  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

vice  to  the  new  department,  the  board  of  supervising  i: 
specters  met  in  special  session  during  the  months  of  Jui 
and  July,  1903,  to  make  a  thorough  revision  of  the  stear 
boat  inspection  laws  and  also  of  the  rules  and  regulatioi 
made  in  pursuance  thereof.  After  seven  weeks  of  conce: 
trated  effort,  a  bill  was  framed  embodying  what  seemed 
be  amendments  necessary  to  harmonize  the  inspection  lav 
and  the  organization  of  the  service  with  modern  developmen 
in  marine  transportation.  A  bill  was  introduced  in  Congre 
on  March  29,  1904,  containing  these  proposed  changes,  but  tl 
bill  failed  of  enactment.  An  event  occurred  shortly  afte 
however,  which  impressed  upon  the  members  of  Congress  tl 
urgent  need  of  such  legislation.  On  June  15,  1904,  957  pe 
sons,  most  of  whom  were  women  and  children,  lost  the 
lives  through  the  burning  of  the  excursion  steamer  Gener 
Slocum  in  the  East  River,  New  York.  On  June  23,  190 
President  Roosevelt  appointed  a  commission  to  investiga 
the  causes  and  to  make  recommendations  as  to  future  actio 
The  report  of  this  commission,  submitted  on  October  8,  190 
placed  responsibility  largely  upon  the  officers  of  the  Stear 
boat-Inspection  Service.  The  reasons  given  for  the  appa 
ent  inefficiency  of  the  service  were  four  in  number :  ( i )  / 
inadequate  corps  of  inspectors  at  the  port  of  New  Yorl 
(2)  opposition  from  the  public  to  delays  for  purposes  of  rei 
spection,  causing  personal  inconvenience;  (3)  reluctance  < 
the  owners  of  vessels  to  maintain  life-saving  and  fire-fighth 
equipment  in  proper  condition;  and  (4)  inadequate  supe 
vision  exercised  by  the  supervising  and  local  inspectors  ov 
the  assistant  inspectors  who  performed  the  actual  work  < 
inspection.  The  commission  submitted  a  score  of  recor 
mendations  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  the  servic 
The  Supervising  Inspector-General  of  the  Steamboat-I 
spection  Service,  who  was  a  member  of  the  commission,  co 
curred  in  the  report  except  in  placing  responsibility  upon  t 
supervising  inspector.  The  President  indicated  his  entire  a 


HISTORY  19 

proval  of  the  report  and  ordered  the  dismissal  of  all  officers 
of  the  service  concerned. 

Congress  was  now  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  legislative 
action,  and  a  series  of  amendments  was  passed  and  approved 
on  March  3,  1905  (33  Stat.  L.,  1022),  which  embodied  many 
of  the  recommendations  of  the  commission.  Some  of  the 
more  important  changes  and  innnovations  were:  (i)  Provi- 
sions authorizing  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  to  pre- 
scribe measures  to  be  taken  by  the  owners  of  vessels  to  guard 
against  and  extinguish  fire,  and  to  establish  regulations  gov- 
erning the  exact  number  and  character  of  life-saving  equip- 
ment to  be  kept  on  board,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  Commerce  and  Labor;  (2)  appeals  could  thereafter 
be  taken  to  the  supervising  inspectors  in  case  of  the  revoca- 
tion of  certificates  of  inspection  by  local  boards,  or  to  the 
Supervising  Inspector-General  in  case  of  the  revocation  of 
the  licenses  of  officers,  when  such  action  had  received  the 
approval  of  the  supervising  inspector;  (3)  assistant  inspectors 
were  expressly  placed  under  the  direction,  supervision,  and 
control  of  the  local  inspectors  in  the  performance  of  their 
duties,  and  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  was  author- 
ized to  detail  assistant  inspectors  from  one  port  or  district 
to  another,  as  the  needs  of  the  service  might  require; 
(4)  salaries  of  local  inspectors  were  definitely  determined  by 
the  terms  of  the  act,  thus  repealing  the  provision  in  the  act  of 
March  i,  1895,  which  based  the  salaries  upon  the  number  of 
vessels  annually  inspected;12  (5)  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
and  Labor  was  empowered  to  call  in  session  at  any  time,  after 
reasonable  public  notice,  an  executive  committee,  to  be  com- 
posed of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  and  any  two  super- 
vising inspectors,  which  committee,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Secretary,  should  have  power  to  alter,  amend,  add  to,  or  re- 

12  The  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  in  his  annual  report  for 
1905,  characterized  this  provision  as  being  by  far  the  most  important 
change  made.  He  pointed  out  that  under  the  old  system,  as  author- 
ized by  the  act  of  1895,  "a  substantial  premium  was  thus  actually 
placed  on  lax  inspection." 


20  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

peal  any  of  the  rules  and  regulations  made  by  the  board 
supervising  inspectors,  such  alteration,  amendment,  additic 
or  repeal  to  have  the  full  force  of  law,  when  approved 
the   Secretary,   and   to   continue   in   effect   until  thirty   da 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  next  meeting  of  the  board 
supervising  inspectors. 

This  last  innovation  made  possible  changes  in  the  rules  a 
regulations  for  the  administration  and  enforcement  of  t 
steamboat  inspection  laws  to  meet  emergencies  which  oft 
arose  due  to  the  rapid  changes  and  improvements  in  the  pn 
tice  of  steam  engineering  and  steam  navigation.  The  S< 
retary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  took  advantage  of  the  auth( 
ity  thus  granted  him  on  two  occasions  in  the  fiscal  year  folio 
ing  the  passage  of  the  act;  and  in  his  annual  report  for  19 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  commented  upon  the  we 
of  the  committee  as  showing  conclusively  "that  its  est; 
lishment  was  not  only  important  but  wise  legislation,"  a 
that  its  necessity  had  been  fully  proven. 

A  number  of  acts  were  passed  in  1906  and  the  years  folio 
ing  which  imposed  new  activities  upon  the  service  and  < 
larged  the  scope  of  its  work.  Some  of  the  more  importc 
provisions  contained  in  these  acts  are  the  following: 

( i )   Vessels  of  fifteen  gross  tons  or  less,  propelled  in  wh< 
or  in  any  part  by  gas,  gasoline,  petroleum,  or  electricity  coi 
be  operated  only  by  persons  licensed  by  a  board  of  local 
specters ; 13 

13  This  provision  was  in  partial  response  to  the  forceful  reco 
mendation  made  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  in  his  ann 
report   for   1905   for  the  extension  of  the  act  of  January   18,   18 
to  all  motor-driven  vessels  of  whatever  tonnage.     He  charged  tl 
many    of   these   vessels    were   built   with    the   designed    purpose 
having  them  a  fraction  under  fifteen  tons,  which  was  the  maxim 
tonnage   exempted   from   the   restrictions   of  the   law   requiring 
spection   and   licensed   officers,    if   engaged   in    carrying   freight 
passengers  for  hire ;  there  being  no  restriction  if  the  vessel  was  i 
used   for   commercial   purposes.     He   continued:     ''These   craft   ; 
used  for  both  commercial  and  pleasure  purposes,  and  many  of  th 
being  navigated  by  inexperienced,  incompetent,  and  irresponsible  p 
sons,  are  a  constant  menace  to  life  and  property.     The  laws  and  • 
rules  and  regulations  applicable  to  other  vessels  which  must  be  « 


HISTORY  21 

(2)  Local  inspectors  were  given  power  to  determine  the 
necessary  complement  of  officers  and  crews  of  all  vessels  of 
the  United  States  subject  to   inspection,  and  to  enter  them 
upon  the   ship's   certificate   of   inspection,   such   entry  being 
subject  to  appeal  to  the  supervising  inspector  and  from  that 
officer  to  the   Supervising  Inspector-General ; 14 

(3)  Sea-going  barges  were  required  to  submit  to  an  annual 
inspection  of  hull  and  equipment; 

(4)  The  chairman  of  the  Lighthouse  Board,  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General,  and  the  Commissioner  of  Naviga- 
tion were  charged  to  convene  as  a  board,  when  called  by  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  to  establish  certain  regu- 
lations  concerning  the  navigation   of   sea-going   barges   and 
towing  vessels  within  any  of  the  inland  waters  of  the  United 
States ; 

(5)  The  permanent  indefinite  appropriation  for  the  salar- 
ies and  expenses  of  the  service  was  repealed  and  the  Secretary 
of  Commerce  and  Labor  was   directed  to  submit  estimates 
annually  for  the  same  beginning  with  the  fiscal  year  of  1912; 

(6)  The  supervising  inspectors  were  directed  to  make  their 
annual  reports  to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  instead 
of  to  themselves  meeting  as  a  board,  although  the  board  was 
still  authorized  to  examine  the  work  of  all  inspectors  in  the 
service  and  to  correct  mistakes  when  possible; 

(7)  An  additional   board  of  local   inspectors   was  estab- 
lished.15 

served  to  insure  safe  navigation  are  practically  ignored  by  these 
motor  vessels;  and  as  a  consequence,  accidents  resulting  in  loss 
of  life,  occasioned  by  their  reckless  navigation  frequently  come  to 
the  notice  of  this  office,  but  the  Department  is  powerless  to  take 
any  action  to  punish  the  guilty  or  to  protect  the  innocent  from  the 
result  of  ignorance  and  incompetency." 

14  This  amendment  was  suggested  as  highly  desirable  by  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  in  his  annual  report  for  1907. 

15  The  provisions  here  enumerated  give,  in  summarized  form,  the 
most  important  changes  made  by  the  following  acts :     March  17,  1906 
(34  Stat.  L.,  68)  ;  May  16,  1906  (34  Stat.  L.,  193)  ;  May  28,  1906 
(34  Stat.  L.,  204);  June  n,   1906   (34  Stat.  L.,  230);  February  8, 
1907   (34  Stat.  L.,  881);  April  2,  1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  55);  May  28, 
I90&  (35  Stat.  L.,  424)  ;  June  25,  1910  (35  Stat.  L.,  831)  ;  May  22, 


22  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

One  particularly  important  act  passed  during  this  period 
namely,  the  act  of  June  9,  1910  (36  Stat.  L.,  462),  an< 
known  as  the  "Motor-Boat  Act,"  is  deserving  of  specia 
attention.  Motor-boats  were  defined  as  vessels  propelled  b; 
machinery  and  not  more  than  sixty-five  feet*  in  length,  excep 
tug-boats  and  tow-boats  propelled  by  steam.  All  such  motor 
boats  more  than  forty  feet  in  length  and  propelled  b 
machinery  driven  by  steam  were  made  subject  to  the  inspectio 
of  the  engine,  boiler,  or  other  operating  machinery  by  th 
local  inspectors  of  steam  vessels  and  to  their  approval  o 
the  design  thereof.  Regulations  as  to  lights,  whistles,  fog 
horns,  and  bells  were  established.  All  motor-boats  carryin 
passengers  were  required  to  carry  one  life-preserver  for  ever 
passenger  on  board,  and  were  not  to  be  operated  except  i 
charge  of  a  person  duly  licensed  by  a  local  board  of  inspector; 
No  examination  was  to  be  required  as  a  condition  of  obtair 
ing  such  a  license,  but  the  license  could  be  revoked  or  su.c 
pended  by  the  local  board  of  inspectors  for  misconduct,  gros 
negligence,  recklessness  in  navigation,  or  violation  of  UP 
upon  the  part  of  the  holder. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  approved  March  4,  1913  (37  Sta 
L.,  736),  a  new  executive  department  to  be  denominated  tr 
Department  of  Labor,  was  organized.  The  Steamboat-Ir 
spection  Service  was  thereafter  a  bureau  of  the  Departmet 
of  Commerce  and  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  c 
Commerce.16 

Several  important  amendments  have  been  made  by  Coi 
gress  to  the  inspection  laws  since  1913,  the  most  importai 
of  which  are  as  follows : 

1912  (37  Stat.  L,  116);  January  24,  1913  (37  Stat.  L.,  650" 
March  3,  1913  (37  Stat.  L.,  732)  ;  and  March  4,  1913  (37  Stat.  I 
1013). 

16  In  all  quotations  and  references  to  existing  law  relating  to  tl 
power  of  the  head  of  the  Department,  the  term  Secretary  of  Con 
merce  has  been  used  in  this  monograph  as  that  term  was  substitut( 
for  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  Secretary  of  Commerce  ar 
Labor  by  the  acts  of  February  14,  1903,  and  March  4,  1913,  respe 
tively. 


HISTORY  23 

(1)  Regulations  restricting  the  transportation  of  dangerous 
and  inflammable  articles  on  passenger  vessels  were  modified 
to  permit  the  carriage  of  crude  petroleum,  gunpowder,  the 
use  of  kerosene  and  lubricating  oils  as  stores,  and  the  trans- 
portation   and    use    of    gasoline    or    any    other    product    of 
petroleum  for  the  operation  of  engines  to  supply  an  auxiliary 
lighting  and   wireless  system,   under  regulations   to   be  pre- 
scribed by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors; 

(2)  Licenses  of  masters,  mates  or  pilots  of  steam-vessels 
were  not  to  be  renewed  by  local  boards  of  inspectors  until 
applicants  had  passed  a  satisfactory  examination   for  color- 
blindness ; 1T 

(3)  By    executive    order    of    September   4,    1914,    issued 
under  authority  of  the  Ship  Registry  Act  of  August  18,  1914 
(38  Stat.  L.,  693),  the  requirements  as  to  inspection  of  for- 
eign-built vessels  registered  under  the  latter  act  were   sus- 
pended for  two  years ; 

(4)  Supervising  inspectors  were  authorized  to  decrease,  at 
their  discretion,  the  number  of  passengers  vessels  were  per- 
mitted to  carry  by  the  local  inspectors,  and  the  approval  of 
the  supervising  inspector  must  be  secured  for  an  increase  in 
such  number  or  for  a  special  permit  in  case  of  excursions; 18 

17  This  amendment  merely  gave  statutory  effect  to  and  made  more 
inclusive,  a  rule  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  established 
in  1889  requiring  pilots  of  steam  vessels  to  pass  a  satisfactory  ex- 
amination for  color  blindness  as  a  condition  to  the  renewal  of  their 
license.     The  rule  adopted  by  the  board  at  that  time  was  character- 
ized by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  in  his  report  for  1880  as 
"probably  the  most  important  ever  adopted  by  the  board." 

18  The  passage  of  this  and  other  amendments  noted  below  was  the 
direct  result  of  another  startling  marine  disaster,  namely,  the  sink- 
ing  of   the    excursion    steamer   Eastland   while    lying   at   her   dock 
at  Chicago,  resulting  in  the  loss  of  812  lives.     The  disaster  was  made 
the  subject  of  a  special  investigation  under  the  personal  direction  of 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  the  outcome  of  which  was  a  series  of 
recommendations  submitted  by  the  Board  of  Inquiry  in  its  report  dated 
August  5,  1915,  a  number  of  which  were  made  the  subject  of  legisla- 
tion by  Congress.     The  problem  of  preventing  the  overloading  of 
steamers  carrying  passengers  had  for  some  time  been  the  subject  of 
discussion    by    the    Supervising    Inspector-General    in    his    reports. 
Previous  to  the  passage  of  the  above  amendment  the  sole  responsibility 


24  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

(5)  Provision   was  made   to  permit   appeals,   by  persons 
directly  interested  or  affected  by  any  decision  or  action  of  th( 
local  inspectors,  to  be  taken  to  the  supervising  inspector  of  th< 
district,  and  from  the  decisions  of  the  latter  to  the  Supervis 
ing  Inspector-General,  whose  judgment  in  all  cases  was  to  b< 
final; 

(6)  Supervising  inspectors  were  vested  with  power  to  in 
vestigate  and  decide  questions  in  cases  of  disagreement  be 
tween  the  members  of  local  boards  within  their  respective 
districts,  and  to  review  any  decision  or  action  of  the  sani' 
upon  their  own  motion; 

(7)  The  Supervising  Inspector-General  was  given  author 
ity,  in  the  same  manner,  to  review  any  decision  or  action  o 
either  the  supervising  or  local  inspectors,  and  his  decision 
when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  was  to  b 
final; 

(8)  When  necessary,   reviewing  officers  were  empowere* 
to  administer  oaths  and  to  summon  and  compel  the  attend 
ance  of  witnesses  by  a  similar  process  as  that  employed  b 
the  United  States  district  courts; 

(9)  Additions  to  the  personnel  of  the  service  were  prc 
vided  for,  including  boards  of  local  inspectors  and  assistan 
inspectors.     The  Secretary  of  Commerce  was  given  authorit 
to  appoint  not  to  exceed   four  traveling  inspectors   for  th 
improvement  of  the  service,  when  in  his  judgment  they  migli 
be    necessary,    and    also    a    Deputy    Supervising    Inspector 
General  who  was  to  be  the  chief  clerk  of  the  bureau  and  to  ac 
in  the  absence  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General.19 

(10)  The  activities  of  the  service  in  regard  to  inspectio 
were  extended  to  include  all  steam-vessels  owned  or  operate' 

for  determining  the  number  of  passengers  that  could  be  carried  wit' 
safety  was  placed  upon  the  local  boards  of  inspectors.  The  effec 
of  this  amendment  was  to  shift  this  responsibility  in  large  measur 
to  the  supervising  inspectors  of  the  respective  districts. 

19  The  service  had  had,  prior  to  the  passage  of  this  act,  a  chie 
clerk  who  was  acting  Supervising  Inspector-General  in  the  absenc 
of  that  officer.  The  effect  of  this  act  was  to  create  the  office  o 
Deputy  Supervising  Inspector-General. 


HISTORY  25 

by  the  United  States  Shipping  Board  or  any  corporation  or- 
ganized or  controlled  by  it; 

(n)  Cargo  vessels  documented  under  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  were  given  permission  to  carry  on  board  not 
to  exceed  sixteen  persons  in  addition  to  their  crew  when 
navigating  between  any  ports  or  places  in  the  United  States 
or  its  districts,  territories,  or  possessions,  or  between  any 
such  port  or  place  and  any  foreign  port,  or  from  any  foreign 
port  to  another  foreign  port  and  such  vessels  should  not  be 
classed  as  "passenger  vessels"  within  the  meaning  of  the  in- 
spection laws.  Such  vessels  were  not  exempted  from  regula- 
tions respecting  life-saving  equipment,  however,  and  were  re- 
quired to  give  notice  to  such  additional  persons  carried  of 
the  presence  of  dangerous  articles  on  board  or  of  any  other 
condition  or  circumstance  which  would  constitute  a  risk  of 
safety  for  passenger  or  crew.20 

Special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  act  approved  March 
4»  I9I5  (38  Stat.  L.,  1164),  and  known  as  the  "Seamen's 
Act,"  which  added  materially  to  the  work  of  the  board  of 
supervising  inspectors  and  imposed  a  new  activity  upon  the 
service.  The  board  was  charged  with  the  establishment  of 
rules  and  regulations,  to  be  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce,  governing  the  number  and  character  of  life-sav- 
ing appliances  required  by  the  law  to  be  kept  on  board,  and 
local  inspectors  were  authorized  to  examine  and  grant  cer- 

20  The  above  amendments  and  changes  in  the  inspection  laws  are 
contained  in  the  following  acts:  May  25,  1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  381); 
July  16,  1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  454);  July  17,  1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  511); 
October  22,  1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  765)  ;  March  3,  1915  (38  Stat.  L.,  893)  ; 
February  14,  1917  (39  Stat.  L.,  918)  ;  February  26,  1917  (39  Stat. 
L.,  942)  ;  March  29,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  499)  ;  May  n,  1918  (40  Stat. 
L.,  548)  ;  June  10,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  602)  ;  July  2,  1918  (40  Stat.  L., 
739)  I  October  25,  1919  (41  Stat.  L.,  305)  ;  and  June  5,  1920  (41 
Stat.  L.,  988).  By  express  provision  in  the  act  of  1920,  known  as 
the  "Merchant  Marine  Act,  1920,"  rules  and  regulations  made  by 
or  affecting  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  are  excluded  from  the 
general  grant  of  authority  given  to  the  Shipping  Board  to  request 
departments,  boards  or  bureaus  to  modify  rules  and  regulations  made 
by  the  latter  affecting  shipping  in  the  foreign  trade,  and  to  approve 
new  rules  and  regulations  made  by  such  departments,  boards,  or 
bureaus, 


26  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

tificates  of  service  to  able  seamen,  such  certificates  to  be  ac 
cepted  as  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  possessor's  rating  as  a 
able  seaman.  Each  local  board  was  required  to  keep  a  con 
plete  record  of  all  certificates  of  service  thus  issued,  and  t 
keep  on  file  such  affidavits  as  might  be  submitted  by  appl 
cants.  Boards  of  local  inspectors  were  authorized  by  tl 
Secretary  of  Commerce,  following  the  passage  of  this  act,  t 
also  issue  certificates  to  persons  qualified  to  serve  as  life-bo; 
men. 

The  history  of  the  origin  and  development  of  the  Stean 
boat-Inspection  Service,  which  has  been  rapidly  surveye« 
necessarily  has  disclosed  to  a  considerable  degree  the  scoj 
of  the  activities  of  the  service,  as  it  is  functioning  at  tl 
present  time,  and  the  progress  made  from  time  to  time  in  in 
proving  and  enlarging  the  organization  of  the  service,  sin< 
the  historical  development  of  any  government  bureau,  sue 
as  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  is  to  be  found  only  : 
the  acts  of  Congress  creating  the  service  and  enlarging  tl 
field  of  its  work  to  meet  new  conditions  and  to  increase  tl 
value  of  service  it  performs  for  the  nation.  In  the  remaii 
ing  chapters  of  this  monograph  a  more  detailed  and  unifie 
description  of  the  present  activities  and  organization  of  tl 
service  will  be  undertaken. 

It  is  interesting  to  note,  in  passing,  that  the  title  "Stear 
boat-Inspection  Service"  is  nowhere  authorized  by  law.  Tl 
present  law  governing  the  service,  in  defining  the  qualific 
tions  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  says  that  he  "sh; 
be  selected  with  reference  to  his  fitness  and  ability  to  syster 
atize  and  carry  into  effect  all  the  provisions  of  law  relatii 
to  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  and  also  provides  th 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce  may  detail  assistant  inspecto 
"as  the  needs  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  may  r 
quire."  These  two  instances  are  the  only  references  to  t 
title  made  in  the  statutes.  The  Secretary  of  Commerce  ai 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  have  suggested  in  the 
recent  reports  that  because  of  the  growth  of  the  service  beyoi 


HISTORY  27 

the  inspection  of  steam-vessels  the  title  of  the  bureau  should 
be  changed.  The  latter,  in  his  annual  report  for  1917,  said 
in  this  connection :  "The  work  of  the  service  has  also  ex- 
panded in  connection  with  the  inspection  of  motor-boats,  and 
hence  the  Department  very  properly  suggested  that  the  name 
of  the  service  be  changed  from  Steamboat-Inspection  Ser- 
vice to  Marine-Inspection  Service,  because  the  service  touches 
in  its  activities  not  only  the  inspection  of  steamers  but  also 
the  inspection  of  motor-boats  and  sailing  vessels,  and  it  has 
to  do  not  only  with  the  licensing  of  officers  of  steamers  but 
also  the  licensing  of  officers  of  motor  vessels  and  the  certifica- 
tion of  seamen  and  life-boat  men." 


CHAPTER  II 
ACTIVITIES 

In  the  performance  of  its  function,  which  is  that  of  ad 
ministering  the  laws  of  the  United  States  enacted  for  th 
purpose  of  insuring  that  vessels  are  constructed,  equipped,  an 
manned  in  such  a  way  as  to  afford  the  maximum  degree  o 
safety  in  their  operation,  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Servic 
is  at  present  engaged  in  a  considerable  number  of  specifi 
activities — all  directed  toward  minimizing  the  dangers  an 
hazards  of  marine  transportation.  It  is  proposed,  within  th 
limits  of  this  chapter,  to  present,  in  summary  form,  a  surve 
of  the  activities  of  this  service,  noting  the  legal  authorizatio 
for  engaging  in  each  particular  type  of  work,  and  giving 
description  of  the  present  methods  employed  by  the  service 
No  attempt  will  be  made,  however,  to  give  a  complete  accoun 
of  the  provisions  of  law  setting  forth  the  specific  requirement 
to  which  vessels  subject  to  regulation  must  conform.  Thes 
are,  in  many  instances,  technical  in  character  and  vary  to  . 
considerable  degree  according  to  the  different  types  and  size 
of  vessels  regulated.  The  same  is  true,  to  an  even  greate 
extent,  of  the  rules  and  regulations  established  by  the  boar 
of  supervising  inspectors  to  insure  an  efficient  and  uniforr 
administration  of  the  inspection  laws,  which,  when  approve" 
by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  have  all  the  force  and  effec 
of  law. 

Before  beginning  a  survey  of  the  activities  of  the  Steam 
boat-Inspection  Service,  no  better  explanatory  statement  con 
cerning  the  general  scope  of  those  activities  can  be  given  tha: 
that  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  in  his  annur 
report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1911 : 

While  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  was  organized,  a 

28 


ACTIVITIES  29 

its  name  implies,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  steamboats, 
modern  development  of  the  means  of  propelling  vessels  has 
brought  to  the  front  the  gasoline  engine,  and  with  it  the 
motor-boat,  and  while  for  certain  purposes  the  service  is  re- 
quired to  inspect  gasoline  motor-boats  of  a  certain  class  the 
service  comes  into  close  contact  with  the  motor-boat  situation 
through  the  licensing  of  operators  of  motor-boats  carrying 
passengers  for  hire.  Furthermore,  this  service  is  charged  by 
the  Department  with  the  responsibility  of  passing  upon  the 
buoyant  cushions  used  in  motor-boats  for  pleasure  purposes, 
and  this  has  entailed  no  little  work  upon  the  central  office 
as  a  result  of  the  tests  that  have  to  be  conducted  of  cushions 
submitted,  and  of  the  numerous  questions  that  have  to  be 
answered  in  regard  to  the  life-saving  equipment  of  certain 
classes  of  motor-boats. 

As  the  manufacture  of  dangerous  articles  has  developed, 
the  number  of  questions  asked  with  regard  to  the  application 
of  section  4472,  Revised  Statutes,  relating  to  the  transporta- 
tion of  dangerous  articles  on  vessels  carrying  passengers  con- 
tinues to  increase,  and  there  are  no  more  important  rulings 
than  those  relating  to  the  transportation  of  dangerous  articles 
under  section  4472,  Revised  Statutes.  As  the  gasoline  engine 
has  brought  into  prominence  the  motorbcat,  so  it  has  also 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Service  the  transportation  of 
automobiles,  a  matter  also  covered  by  section  4472,  Revised 
Statutes,  and  it  becomes  more  apparent  every  day  that  the 
masters  and  owners  of  vessels  must  strictly  enforce  the  law 
with  reference  to  the  transportation  of  automobiles. 

The  work  being  done  by  this  Bureau  for  other  departments 
of  the  Government  and  for  other  bureaus  of  this  Department 
is  constantly  increasing.  This  work  consists  of  investigations 
made  by  this  Bureau  of  disasters  affecting  vessels  owned  by 
other  bureaus  of  this  Department;  the  Bureau  has  also  to  do 
with  the  inspection  of  material  for  boilers  used  in  the  vessels 
of  other  departments  of  the  Government;  and  numerous  re- 
quests are  received  for  the  inspection  of  boilers  in  vessels 
owned  by  other  bureaus  of  this  Department,  as  well  as  boilers 
in  public  buildings. 

For  purposes  of  description  and  presentation,  the  activ- 
ities of  the  service  may  be  regarded  as  falling  under  the  fol- 
lowing heads ; 


30  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

1.  Inspection  of  vessels — their  construction  and  equ 
ment. 

2.  Examination  and   licensing  of   marine  officers. 

3.  Examination  and  certification  of  seamen  and  li 
boat  men. 

4.  Determination  of  necessary  complement  of  offic 
and  crew  and  accommodations  therefor. 

5.  Conduct  of  investigations  of  marine  casualties  s 
violations  of  the  inspection  laws. 

6.  Establishment  of  regulations  to  prevent  collision 

7.  Regulation  of  the  transportation  of  passengers  c 
merchandise. 

Inspection  of  Vessels.  The  annual  inspection  of  the  hu 
boilers,  machinery,  and  general  equipment  of  vessels  subj 
to  the  steamboat  inspection  laws  may  be  said  to  constit 
the  major  activity  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service, 
large  portion  of  the  field  force  is  constantly  engaged  in  t 
work,  and  it  was  primarily  to  perform  such  work  that 
service  was  first  instituted  in  1838.  The  law  provides  t 
"all  steam-vessels  (including  ,every  vessel  propelled  in  wh 
or  in  part  by  steam)  navigating  any  waters  of  the  Uni 
States  which  are  common  highways  of  commerce  or  open 
general  or  competitive  navigation,  excepting  public  vessels 
the  United  States,  vessels  of  other  countries,  and  boats  p 
pelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam  for  navigating  cana 
shall  be  subject  to  the  inspection  laws.  By  the  act  of  Aug 
7,  1882  (22  Stat.  L.,  346),  as  amended  by  the  acts  of  F 
ruary  15,  1902  (32  Stat.  L.,  34)  and  March  17,  1906  ( 
Stat.  L.,  68),  "all  foreign  private  steam- vessels  carrying  p 
sengers  from  any  port  of  the  United  States  to  any  other  pi 
or  country,"  are  made  subject  to  the  inspection  laws,  exc 
tions  being  allowed,  however,  in  certain  cases,  by  permiss 
of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce.  Further,  by  the  act  of  Ma 
3,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  687),  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
authorized  "to  direct  the  inspection  of  any  foreign  vessel,  . 


ACTIVITIES  31 

mitted  to  American  registry,  its  steam  boilers,  steam  pipes, 
and  appurtenances,  and  to  direct  the  issue  of  the  usual  cer- 
tificate of  inspection,  whether  said  boilers,  steam  pipes,  and 
appurtenances  are  or  are  not  constructed  pursuant  to  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  or  whether  they  are  or  are  not 
constructed  of  iron  stamped  pursuant  to  said  laws."  1  By 
an  act  approved  October  25,  1919  (41  Stat  L.,  305),  all 
steam  vessels  owned  or  operated  by  the  United  States  Ship- 
ping Board  or  any  corporation  organized  or  controlled  by  it 
are  made  subject  to  the  laws  for  the  regulation  of  steam- 
vessels. 

Inspection  of  Hulls.  The  inspection  of  the  hulls  of  steam- 
vessels  was  first  authorized  by  the  act  of  July  7,  1838  (5  Stat. 
L.,  304).  Frequent  changes  have  been  made  in  the  law  since 
that  time  increasing  the  scope  of  this  particular  activity  of 
the  service.  The  law  in  force  at  the  present  time  provides 
that: 

The  local  inspectors  shall,  once  in  every  year,  at  least,  care- 
fully inspect  the  hull  of  each  steam-vessel  within  their  respec- 
tive districts,  and  shall  satisfy  themselves  that  every  such 
vessel  so  submitted  to  their  inspection  is  of  a  structure  suit- 
able for  the  service  in  which  she  is  to  be  employed,  .  .  .  and 
is  in  a  condition  to  warrant  the  belief  that  she  may  be  used 
in  navigation  as  a  steamer,  with  safety  to  lifel  .  .  .  The  local 
inspectors  shall,  once  in  every  year,  at  least,  carefully  inspect 
the  hull  of  each  sail  vessel  of  over  seven  hundred  tons  carry- 
ing passengers  for  hire  and  all  other  vessels  and  barges  of 
over  one  hundred  tons  burden  carrying  passengers  for  hire 
within  their  respective  districts,  and  shall  satisfy  themselves 
that  every  such  vessel  so  submitted  to  their  inspection  is  of 

1  By  Sec.  2  of  an  act  entitled  "An  Act  To  provide  for  the  admis- 
sion of  foreign-built  ships  to  American  registry  for  the  foreign 
trade,  and  for  other  purposes,"  approved  August  18,  1914  (38  Stat. 
L.,  698),  the  President  is  authorized  "whenever  in  his  discretion  the 
needs  of  foreign  commerce  may  require,  to  suspend  by  order,  so  far 
and  for  such  length  of  time  as  he  may  deem  desirable,  .  .  .  the 
provisions  of  the  law  requiring  survey,  inspection,  and  measurement 
by  officers  of  the  United  States  of  foreign-built  vessels  admitted  to 
American  registry  under  this  act," 


32  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

a  structure  suitable  for  the  service  in  which  she  is  to  be  ( 
ployed  .  .  .  and  is  in  condition  to  warrant  the  belief  that 
may  be  used  in  navigation  with  safety  to  life.  .  .  . 

The  hulls  of  all  ferry-boats,  canal-boats,  yachts  or  ot 
small  craft  of  like  character  propelled  by  steam,  of  all  ves; 
of  above  fifteen  gross  tons  carrying  freight  or  passengers 
hire,  but  not  engaged  in  fishing  as  a  regular  business,  propel 
by   gas,   fluid,   naphtha,   or   electric  motors,   of  all   seago 
barges  of  one  hundred  gross  tons  or  over,  and  of  all  t 
boats,  towing-boats  and  freight-boats,  are  made  subject  to 
spection,  as  provided  for  in  the  section  quoted  above,  by  s 
sequent  acts.     By  statutory  enactment,  the  board  of  supen 
ing  inspectors  is  authorized  to  establish    all  necessary  regi 
tions  required  to  carry  out  in  the  most  effective  manner 
inspection  of  vessels.     Consequently,  the  board  issues  gene 
rules  and  regulations  for  the  guidance  of  the  local  inspectc 
In   accordance   with   these    regulations,    local    inspectors 
authorized  to  make  annual  inspections  "only  on  written 
plication,  presented  to  the  United  States  local  inspectors 
the  owner,  master,  or  authorized  agent  of  the  vessel  to  be 
spected."     Section  4  of  the  General  Rules  and  Regulati< 
prescribed  by  the  board  in   1920,   concerning  the  inspect 
of  vessels,  provides: 

In  the  inspection  of  hulls  of  vessels,  the  inspector  of  hi 
shall  carefully  inspect  every  accessible  part  of  the  hull,  c 
carefully  examine  the  wood  or  metal  of  which  the  hull 
constructed  to  determine  the  condition  of  same,  making 
necessary  hammer  tests  of  hulls  constructed  of  iron  or  st< 
If  the  inspector  shall  not  have  satisfactory  evidence  otherw 
of  the  soundness  of  the  hull  of  a  wooden  vessel,  he  si 
not  give  a  certificate  until  the  same  shall  be  bored  or  opei 
up  to  his  satisaction. 

Section  8  provides  that  the  owner  of  every  new  vessel 
gver  one  hundred  tons,  when  making  application  for  the  fi 


ACTIVITIES  33 

inspection,  must  furnish  the  local  inspectors  with  a  drawing 
or  blueprint  in  plan  and  section,  showing  fully  the  general 
construction  of  the  vessel,  the  kind  of  material  used,  the  con- 
struction and  location  of  bulkheads,  and  all  details  which  bear 
upon  the  safety  and  durability  of  the  ship.2  This  regulation 
was  established  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  at  their 
annual  meeting  in  January,  1911,  at  the  instance  of  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General,  who  in  his  annual  report  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1910,  urged  some  such  measure 
in  order  to  give  the  local  inspectors  information  as  to  the 
original  construction  of  vessels.  In  his  annual  report  for 
1912,  that  officer  declared  that  the  result  of  the  regulation 
thus  adopted  had  been  most  beneficial,  since  inspectors  had  in 
their  possession  certain  valuable  information  of  which  they 
were  in  complete  ignorance  prior  to  the  passage  of  this  rule. 
A  defect  was  apparent,  however,  in  that  the  blue  prints  were 
submitted  to  the  local  inspectors,  not  for  approved,  but  merely 
for  their  information. 

In  the  same  report,  therefore,  it  was  urged  that  the  board 
of  supervising  inspectors  formulate  rules  for  a  definite 
American  standard  of  hull  Construction,  possibly  adopting 
the  rules  of  the  American  Bureau  of  Shipping,  with  certain 
advisable  changes.  The  board  concluded,  however,  after  due 
deliberation  and  discussion,  that  sufficient  authority  did  not 
>xist  for  the  approval  of  hull  construction  and  for  requiring 
:ertain  detailed  tests  in  regard  to  the  same.  Consequently,  in 
lis  annual  report  for  1914,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General 
jrged  that  a  corps  of  experts  be  stationed  in  the  central  office 
)f  the  service  to  approve  blue  prints  of  proposed  hull  con- 
struction. Approval  by  such  a  body,  in  place  of  the  local 
nspectors,  was  thought  advisable  "  ( i )  because  it  would  enable 
he  Department  to  employ  experts  who  are  more  familiar  with 

2  The  act  of  1871,  as  amended  by  act  of  July  9,  1886  (24  Stat. 
-.,  129),  makes  certain  requirements  as  to  the  number,  position,  and 
instruction  of  bulkheads  on  every  seagoing  steamer,  and  every 
;teamer  navigating  the  great  northern  or  northwestern  lakes,  carry- 
ng  passengers. 


34  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

hull  construction  than  the  local  inspectors,  and  (2)  it  wou 
result  in  that  uniform  administration  of  the  law  with  whic 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  charged."  It  w; 
recognized,  however,  that  to  adopt  such  a  system  "would  1 
a  distinct  departure  from  the  principles  that  have  heretofo 
governed  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  in  the  matter  ( 
the  approval  of  certain  things  by  local  inspectors,  as  it  wou 
place  that  approving  power  in  the  central  office,  thereby  r 
lieving  the  local  inspectors  of  much  responsibility,  as  well  ; 
obtaining  more  expert  advice  and  a  more  uniform  administr 
tion  of  the  law." 

This  recommendation  received  the  approval  of  the  Se 
retary  of  Commerce,  but  no  action  was  taken  by  Congres 
In  the  following  year  (1915)  occurred  the  Eastland  disaste 
and  added  impetus  was  given  to  the  demands  for  approval  < 
hull  construction.  The  board  of  inquiry  appointed  to  i 
vestigate  the  sinking  of  this  vessel  recommended  that  a  boai 
of  competent  naval  architects  be  created  in  the  Departme 
of  Commerce  "to  pass  (prior  to  their  construction)  upon  tl 
plans  and  specifications  of  all  steam  merchant  vessels  ov 
100  tons  burden."  Despite  this  recommendation  and  r 
peated  urging  in  the  reports  of  the  Supervising  Inspecto 
General,  Congress  has  not  as  yet  seen  fit  to  act  on  this  su 
ject.  In  his  annual  reports  for  1919  and  1920,  the  Supe 
vising  Inspector-General  again  called  attention  to  the  adva 
tages  to  be  derived  from  such  action,  both  in  assuring  th 
ships  would,  in  the  future,  have  the  proper  stability  of  stru 
ture,  and  in  the  uniformity  of  administration  made  possit 
by  a  centralization  of  authority.  Section  9  of  the  Gener 
Rules  and  Regulations  prescribed  by  the  Board  of  Supervi 
ing  Inspectors  for  the  inspection  of  vessels  now  provides  th 
"in  the  inspection  of  hulls,  boilers,  and  machinery  of  v€ 
sels,  the  rules  promulgated  by  the  American  Bureau  of  Shi 
ping  respecting  material  and  construction  of  hulls,  boilers,  ai 
machinery,  and  the  certificate  of  classification  referrii 
thereto,  except  where  otherwise  provided  for  by  these  rul 


ACTIVITIES  35 

and  regulations,  shall  be  accepted  as  standard  by  inspectors 
of  this  service."  3 

Inspection  of  Boilers.  The  inspection  of  the  boilers  of 
steam-vessels  was  also  authorized  for  the  first  time  in  1838, 
but,  at  the  present  time,  the  laws  and  regulations  are  much 
more  exacting  and  detailed  than  those  concerned  with  hull 
inspection. 

The  local  inspectors  shall  also  inspect  the  boilers  and  their 
appurtenances  in  all  steam- vessels  before  the  same  shall  be 
used,  and  once  at  least  in  every  year  thereafter,  and  shall 
subject  all  boilers  to  the  hydrostatic  pressure.  •  All  such  vessels 
shall  comply  with  the  following  requirements,  namely:  That 
the  boilers  are  well  made,  of  good  and  suitable  material;  that 
the  openings  for  the  passage  of  water  and  steam,  respectively, 
and  all  pipes  and  tubes  exposed  to  heat,  are  of  proper  dimen- 
sions and  free  from  obstructions;  that  the  spaces  between 
and  around  the  flues  are  sufficient;  that  flues,  boilers,  fur- 
naces, safety  valves,  fusible  plugs,  low-water  indicators,  feed- 
water  apparatus,  gauge  cocks,  steam  gauges,  water  and  steam 
pipes  connecting  boilers,  means  of  prevention  of  sparks  and 
flames  from  fire  doors,  low-water  gauges,  means  of  removing 
mud  and  sediment  from  boilers,  and  all  other  such  machinery 
and  appurtenances  thereof,  are  of  such  construction,  shape, 
condition,  arrangement,  and  material  that  the  same  may  be 
safely  employed  in  the  service  proposed  without  peril  to  life; 
and  the  local  inspectors  shall  satisfy  themselves  by  thorough 
examination  that  said  requirements  of  law  and  regulations  in 
regard  thereto  have  been  fully  complied  with.  All  boilers 
used  on  steam  vessels  and  constructed  of  iron  or  steel  plates, 
inspected  under  the  provisions  of  section  forty-four  hundred 
ind  thirty,  shall  be  subjected  to  a  hydrostatic  test,  in  the  ratio 
)f  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  the  square  inch  to  one 
lundred  pounds  to  the  square  inch  of  the  working  steam  power 
illowed.  No  boiler  or  flue  pipe,  nor  any  of  the  connections 
:herewith,  shall  be  approved,  which  is  made,  in  whole  or 
n  part,  of  bad  material,  or  is  unsafe  in  its  form  or  dang- 

3  A  summary  of  previous  recommendations  in  regard  to  hull  con- 
•truction  and  inspection  is  given  in  the  annual  report  of  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  for  1915,  pp.  23  et  seq. 


36  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

erous    from    defective    workmanship,    age,    use,    or    oth 
cause.4 

As  in  the  case  of  hull  inspection,  the  above  legislation  h 
been  extended  to  include  ferry-boats,  canal-boats,  yachts, 
other  small  craft  of  like  character  propelled  by  steam,  ; 
vessels  of  above  fifteen  gross  tons  carrying  freight  or  pc 
sengers  for  hire  propelled  by  gas,  fluid,  naphtha  or  electi 
motors,  and  all  tug-boats,  towing-boats,  and  freight-boa 
Further,  by  act  approved  June  9,  1910  (36  Stat.  L.,  462 
the  engines,  boilers,  and  other  operating  machinery  on  mote 
boats  more  than  forty  feet  in  length  which  are  propell 
by  machinery  driven  by  steam,  are  made  subject  to  the  la^ 
and  rules  for  inspection.  Rule  VII,  Section  10,  of  the  ge 
eral  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  the  board  of  sup€ 
vising  inspectors  makes  it  "the  duty  of  both  the  hull  ai 
boiler  inspectors  to  be  present  when  the  boiler  is  being  test 
by  hydrostatic  pressure"  and  both  "shall  observe  and  nc 
the  indication  on  the  gauge." 

Section  i,  Rule  II,  of  the  rules  provides  as  follows: 
"The  manufacturer  of  any  boiler  to  be  used  for  marine  pi- 
poses  shall  furnish  the  inspectors  of  the  district  where  su 
boiler  or  boilers  are  to  be  inspected  duplicate  blue  prints 
tracings  fully  descriptive  of  same  in  detail  for  their  approv* 
one  of  which  shall  be  kept  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  local  i 
spectors  and  the  other  returned  to  the  manufacturer."  Sc 
tion  24,  Rule  II  provides  that  "duplicate  blue  prints  or  dra> 
ings  of  water- tube  and  coil  boilers,  with  their  specificatior 
shall  be  submitted  for  approval  to  the  Board  of  Supervisii 
Inspectors  and  the  design  approved  by  said  board,  before  t 
boilers  will  be  allowed  to  be  used  an  any  vessel  coming  und 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors 
TKus  Section  i  is  limited  to  the  approval  of  Scotch  and  simil 
boilers.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  board  has  thus  provid 

4  The  provisions  of  R.   S.  Section  4430  here  referred  to  will 
noted  later  in  this  chapter. 


ACTIVITIES  37 

for  the  approval  of  boiler  construction  which,  in  the  case  of 
hull  construction,  it  decided  it  did  not  have  the  legal  author- 
ity to  do.  A  rule  authorizing  the  approval  of  blue  prints  of 
boilers  was  deemed  lawful  because  of  the  detailed  structural 
tests  already  provided  in  the  law  for  boiler  construction.  The 
recommendations  noted  above  for  a  centralization  of  approval 
of  hull  construction  in  the  office  of  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General  also  included  that  of  boiler  construction. 

Inspection  of  Equipment.  In  addition  to  the  annual  in- 
spection of  the  hulls  and  boilers  of  vessels,  the  local  inspec- 
tors are  required  by  law  to  examine  every  part  of  the  equip- 
ment of  such  vessels,  including  life-boats,  floats,  rafts,  life- 
preservers,  and  other  life-saving  apparatus,  fire-extinguish- 
ers, hose,  fire-buckets,  and  other  appliances  for  fighting  fires, 
and  steering  apparatus.  In  many  cases  the  law  prescribes  in 
detail  the  number  and  the  character  of  construction  of  such 
equipment,  but  in  others  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors 
is  charged  with  prescribing  standards  and  rules  for  the  guid- 
ance of  the  local  inspectors.  The  provisions  of  the  present 
laws,  and  regulations  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  relative  to 
life-saving  appliances  and  fire-fighting  equipment,  are  in  many 
cases  concerned  with  technical  details,  and  are  too  numerous 
to  be  quoted  here.  In  summary  form,  they  provide  as 
follows : 

Life-Saving  Equipment,  (i)  Steamers  navigating  the 
ocean,  or  any  lake,  bay,  or  sound  of  the  United  States,  are 
required  to  be  provided  with  such  numbers  of  life-boats,  floats, 
rafts,  life-preservers,  line-carrying  projectiles,  and  the  means 
of  propelling  them,  and  drags,  as  will  best  secure  the  safety 
of  all  persons  on  board  such  vessel  in  case  of  disaster.  The 
Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors  is  empowered  to  fix  and  de- 
termine, by  their  rules  and  regulations,  the  character  of  such 
apparatus  and  equipment,  as  well  as  the  character  and  capacity 
of  pumps  necessary  to  free  the  vessel  of  water  in  case  of  heavy 
leakage.  The  rules  and  regulations  thus  made,  however,  are 


38  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

subject  to  the  detailed  provisions,  limitations,  and  minimur 
requirements  specified  in  the  Seamen's  Act  of  1915  (38  Sta 
L.,  1164).  (2)  Every  vessel  subject  to  the  laws  for  th 
regulation  of  steam -vessels  is  required,  while  in  operatioi 
to  carry  one  life-preserver  for  each  and  every  person  allowe 
to  be  carried  on  said  vessel  by  the  certificate  of  inspectioi 
including  each  member  of  the  crew.  (3)  By  the  act  of  187 
ferry-boats,  canal-boats,  yachts,  and  other  small  craft  of  lik 
character  propelled  by  steam  were  required  to  comply  wit 
such  provisions  of  law  for  the  better  security  of  life  as  migl 
be  made  applicable  to  them,  by  the  regulations  of  the  boai 
of  supervising  inspectors.  This  act  was  amended  by  an  a1 
approved  January  18,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  489),  which  e: 
tended  the  above  requirements  to  include  motor  vessels  ( 
above  fifteen  tons  carrying  freight  or  passengers  for  hir 
An  act  approved  May  16,  1906  (34  Stat.  L.,  193)  also  r 
quired  motor-driven  vessels  of  fifteen  gross  tons  or  less  carr 
ing  passengers  for  hire  to  carry  one  life-preserver,  of  tl 
sort  prescribed  by  the  regulations  of  the  board  of  supervisir 
inspectors,  for  every  passenger  carried. 

The  latter  act  was  in  partial  response  to  the  recommend 
tions  made  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Supervising  Inspecto 
General  for  1904  and  1905  for  an  extension  of  the  laws  f< 
the  inspection  of  vessels  to  include  all  motor-boats  of  whs 
ever  size  or  tonnage.  Even  after  the  passage  of  the  act  < 
1906,  motor-boats  used  for  pleasure  purposes  only,  no  matt 
what  their  size  or  the  waters  they  navigated,  were  entire 
exempted  from  all  inspection.  The  Supervising  Inspectc 
General  continued  to  urge  legislation  requiring  all  mote 
driven  vessels,  regardless  of  their  size  or  of  the  purpose  f 
which  they  might  be  used,  to  submit  to  a  sufficient  examin 
tion  or  inspection  "to  ascertain  whether  they  are  equipp 
with  the  proper  lights  and  life-saving  apparatus,  and  tl 
the  fuel  tanks  and  engine  are  propery  installed." 

The  repeated  recommendations  of  this  officer  of  the  Steai 
boat-Inspection  Service,  combined  with  the  rapidly  incre; 


ACTIVITIES  39 

ing  use  of  motor-boats  and  numerous  accidents  resulting 
therefrom,  led  to  the  passage  of  the  act  of  June  9,  1910  (36 
Stat.  L.,  462),  known  as  The  Motor-Boat  Act,  the  content 
of  which  was  summarized  in  the  preceding  chapter.  But  the 
operators  of  such  boats  have  experienced  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  interpreting  the  exact  application  of  this  law,  and  the 
Supervising  Inspector-General  has  urged  its  repeal,  and  the 
substitution  of  a  statute  "worded  in  terse,  simple  language 
that  can  be  easily  understood,  not  only  by  the  officials  of  the 
department  but  by  the  public  as  well."  Section  5  of  the 
Motor-Boat  Act  requires  that  every  vessel  propelled  by 
machinery  and  not  more  than  sixty-five  feet  in  length,  except 
tug-boats  and  tow-boats  propelled  by  steam,  "shall  carry  either 
life-preservers  or  life-belts,  or  buoyant  cushions,  or  ring-buoys 
or  other  device,  to  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce, sufficient  to  sustain  afloat  every  person  on  board  and 
so  placed  as  to  be  readily  accessible."  All  motor-boats  carry- 
ing passengers  for  hire  are  required  to  carry  one  life-pre- 
server, of  the  sort  prescribed  by  the  regulations  oi  the 
board  of  supervising  inspectors,  for  every  passenger  car- 
ried. 

(4)  Steam-vessels,    navigating   rivers   only,    except    ferry- 
boats, freight-boats,  canal-boats  and  towing-boats,  of  less  than 
fifty  tons,  are  subject  to  detailed  regulations  as  to  the  char- 
acter,  number  and  construction  of  life-boats.     Such  vessels 
carrying   passengers    are    required   to   provide   a  .good   life- 
preserver  for  every  cabin  passenger  and  also  a  good  life  pre- 
server or  float  for  each  deck  and  other  class  passenger  which 
the  inspector's  certificate  shall  allow  her  to  carry  including 
the  officers  and  crews,  such  life-preservers  or  floats  to  be  kept 
in  convenient  and  accessible  places  on  such  vessel  in  readiness 
for  immediate  use  in  case  of  accident. 

(5)  Every  barge  carrying  passengers,  while  in  tow  of  any 
steamer  must  also  be  provided  with  such  life-preservers  as 
shall   be  prescribed  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors. 
By  an  act  approved  May  28,   1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  424),  sea- 


40  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

going  barges  of  one  hundred  gross  tons  or  over  are  require" 
to  be  equipped  with  at  least  one  life-boat,  and  at  least  on 
life-preserver  for  each  person  on  board,  such  to  be  approve* 
by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors. 

The  sinking  of  the  passenger  steamer  Titanic,  and  the  los 
of  life  involved,  led  to  the  calling  of  the  "International  Cor 
ference  on  Safety  of  Life  at  Sea."  This  conference,  whic 
was  held  in  London  from  November  12,  1913,  to  Januar 
20,  1914,  was  participated  in  by  representatives  of  the  prir 
cipal  maritime  nations  of  the  world.  The  purpose  of  th 
conference  was  to  formulate  rules  regarding  safety  of  life  z 
sea  which  would  be  of  universal  application.  The  conventio 
concluded  on  January  20,  1914,  was  signed  by  the  repn 
sentatives  of  all  the  nations  parties  thereto,  and  the  resuli 
of  the  conference  were  submitted  to  the  President  and  Coi 
gress  by  the  American  delegates,  one  of  whom  was  the  Supei 
vising  Inspector-General  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Servio 
with  favorable  recommendations.5 

The  Senate  failed  to  ratify  the  convention,  but  practical! 
all  of  the  recommendations  as  to  life-saving  equipment  mac 
by  the  International  Conference,  however,  which  constitute 
a  large  and  important  part  of  the  convention,  were  embodk 
in  the  Seamen's  Act  approved  March  4,  1915  (38  Stat.  I 

5  The  Commissioner  of  Navigation,  also  a  delegate  to  the  coi 
ference,  in  his  annual  report  for  1914  said  in  this  connection :  "Tl 
international  convention  is  the  most  important  step  ever  tak< 
by  maritime  nations  to  promote  the  safety  of  life  at  sea,  and  it 
to  be  trusted  that  the  Senate  will  consent  to  its  ratification  befo 
December  31,  1914,  when  ratifications,  by  the  terms  of  the  conventio 
were  to  be  deposited  at  London.  The  convention  was  ratified  by  tl 
German  Reichstag  in  May,  and  the  British  Parliament  passed  ( 
August  10  the  bill  to  give  effect  to  the  convention.  Before  tl 
outbreak  of  the  European  war  in  August  the  preliminary  steps  f< 
ratification  had  been  taken  in  France,  Spain,  the  Netherlands,  Bel 
ium,  Italy,  Austria,  and  Hungary,  and  at  that  time  ratification  w 
expected  in  the  early  autumn.  The  Parliaments  of  Denmark  ai 
Sweden  do  not  assemble  until  early  in  1915,  so  those  powers  c; 
not  ratify  until  that  date.  The  war  will  undoubtedly  delay  un 
beyond  July  I,  1915,  the  time  when  the  convention  shall  go  in 
effect,  but  legislation  by  Congress  will  be  necessary  after  the  co 
vention  shall  have  been  ratified". 


ACTIVITIES  41 

1164),  the  contents  of  which  were  noted  in  the  preceding 
chapter. 

Steering  Apparatus.  The  present  law  provides  that  every 
steamer  carrying  passengers  shall  be  provided  with  such  tiller 
ropes,  tiller  rods,  or  chains  for  the  purpose  of  steering  and 
navigating  the  vessel,  and  such  bell-pulls  for  signalizing  the 
engineer  from  the  pilot  house,  and  such  tubes  or  other  ar- 
rangement to  repeat  back  the  signal  to  the  pilot  house,  as 
may  be  prescribed  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 

Fire-fighting  Equipment,  (i)  Every  steamer  carrying 
passengers  or  freight  must  be  provided  with  suitable  pipes 
and  valves  attached  to  the  boiler  to  convey  steam  into  the 
hold  and  to  the  different  compartments  thereof  to  extinguish 
fire,  or  such  other  suitable  apparatus  as  may  be  prescribed  by 
the  regulations  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  for  extinguish- 
ing fire  in  the  hold  and  compartments  thereof  by  the  intro- 
duction through  pipes  into  such  hold  and  compartments  of 
carbonic  acid  gas  or  other  fire-extinguishing  gas  or  vapor. 
Precautions  to  be  taken  to  prevent  fires  from  stoves,  chim- 
neys, and  boilers  are  prescribed,  and  the  local  inspectors  are 
authorized  to  require  all  other  necessary  provisions  to  be  made 
throughout  such  vessel  to  guard  against  loss  or  danger  from 
fire,  before  granting  a  certificate  of  inspection. 

(2)  Passenger  steamers   are   required   to   have   on   board 
ready  for  use  steam  and  hand  fire-pumps  of  a  certain  number 
and  capacity,  varying  according  to  the  number  of  passengers 
carried  and  the  character  of  the  freight  on  board. 

(3)  All   such   other   provisions   must   be   made   on   every 
steamer  carrying  passengers  or  freight,  to  guard  against  and 
extinguish  fire,  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  board  of  super- 
vising inspectors  and  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 

(4)  The    board    of    supervising    inspectors    may    require 
steamers  carrying  either  passengers  or  freight  to  be  provided 
with  such  number  and  kind  of  portable  fire-extinguishers  as, 


42  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

in  their  judgment,  may  be  necessary  to  protect  such  vessel 
from  fire  when  moored  or  lying  at  a  wharf  without  stear 
to  work  the  pumps. 

(5)  Steam-vessels    navigating    rivers    only,    and    barge 
carrying  passengers  while  in  tow  of  any  steamer  are  require 
to  have  such  fire  buckets,  axes,  and  water  barrels,  kept  in  cor 
venient  places  and  ready  for  use,   as  may  be  prescribed  b 
the  board  of  supervising  inspectors. 

(6)  Section  6  of  the  Motor-Boat  Act  of   1910  provide 
that   every   motor-boat   and   also   every   vessel   propelled   b 
machinery  other  than  by  steam,  more  than  sixty-five  feet  i 
length,   shall   carry   ready   for   immediate  use   the  means  c 
promptly  and  effectually  extinguishing  burning  gasoline. 

With  the  exception  of  Section  5  of  this  act,  which,  as  We 
noted  above,  provides  that  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  alor 
shall  determine  what  life-saving  appliances  shall  be  carrie 
by  motor-boats,  both  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  an 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce  must  approve  all  instrument 
machines,  and  equipment  for  the  better  security  of  life  to  1 
used  on  any  steam-vessel.  To  this  end,  the  board  of  supe 
vising  inspectors  frequently  conducts  tests  to  determine  tl 
value  of  such  new  appliances  as  may  be  invented  from  tin 
to  time,  and  prescribes  standards,  with  the  approval  of  tl 
Secretary  of  Commerce,  to  guide  the  local  inspectors  in  the 
inspection  of  such  equipment.  Whenever  any  inspector  ( 
assistant  inspector,  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  finds  c 
board  any  vessel  subject  to  regulation,  as  part  of  the  r 
quired  equipment  thereof,  any  equipment,  machinery,  appar; 
tus,  or  appliances  not  conforming  to  the  requirements  c 
law,  he  is  authorized  to  require  the  same  to  be  placed  : 
proper  condition  by  the  owner  or  master  of  the  vess* 
if  possible;  and  if  the  inspector  or  assistant  inspector  fine 
on  board  any  such  vessel  any  life-preserver  or  fire  hose  < 
defective  as  to  be  incapable  of  repair,  he  is  given  power  1 
order  it  to  be  destroyed  in  his  presence  by  such  owner  ( 
master.  The  local  inspectors  have  power  to  enforce  these  r 


ACTIVITIES  43 

quirements  by  revoking  the  vessel's  certificate  of  inspection, 
and  refusing  to  issue  a  new  certificate  until  the  requirements 
have  been  fully  complied  with,  or  until  such  action  of  the 
local  inspectors  shall  have  been  reversed,  modified,  or  set 
aside  by  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  district.6 

Certificates  of  Inspection.  The  issuance  of  a  license  or  cer- 
tificate of  inspection  by  the  local  inspectors,  as  evidence  that 
all  the  provisions  of  law  relative  to  the  inspection  of  the 
hulls,  boilers,  and  equipment  of  vessels  have  been  complied 
with,  also  had  its  beginning  as  an  activity  of  the  Steamboat- 
Inspection  Service  in  the  early  act  of  1838.  The  present 
law  on  this  subject  provides  in  part  as  follows: 

When  the  inspection  of  a  steam-vessel  is  completed  and  the 
inspectors  approve  the  vessel  and  her  equipment  throughout, 
they  shall  make  and  subscribe  a  certificate,  which  certificate 
shall  be  verified  by  the  oaths  of  the  inspectors  signing  it, 
before  the  chief  officer  of  the  customs  of  the  district  or  any 
other  person  competent  by  law  to  administer  oaths.  Such  cer- 
tificate shall  be  delivered  to  the  master  or  owner  of  the  vessel 
to  which  it  relates,  and  one  copy  thereof  shall  be  kept  on  file 
in  the  inspector's  office  and  one  copy  shall  be  delivered  to 
the  collector  or  other  chief  officer  of  the  customs  of  the  dis- 
trict in  which  such  inspection  has  been  made,  who  shall  keep 
the  same  on  file  in  his  office.  If  the  inspectors  refuse  to 
grant  a  certificate  of  approval,  they  shall  make  a  statement 
in  writing  and  sign  the  same,  giving  the  reasons  for  their 
disapproval. 

The  law  further  provides  that  a  temporary  certificate  be 
issued  to  the  master  or  owner  of  the  vessel  to  take  the  place 
of  and  be  a  substitute  for  the  regular  certificate  of  inspection 
until  the  latter  is  delivered.  No  vessel  required  to  be  in- 
spected under  the  provision  of  the  law  shall  be  navigated 

6  Such  other  provisions  of  law  requiring,  in  the  equipment  of 
vessels,  suitable  accommodations  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of 
passengers  and  crew,  and  those  requiring  signal  lights,  foghorns,  and 
whistles  to  prevent  collisions  will  be  reviewed  later  in  this  chapter 
under  their  proper  headings. 


44  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

without  having  on  board  an  unexpired  regular  certificate  c 
inspection  or  such  temporary  certificate,  and  one  or  the  oth< 
of  these  certificates  shall  be  placed  by  the  master  or  ownc 
in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  vessel  where  it  will  be  mo: 
likely  to  be  observed  by  passengers  and  others,  and  thei 
kept  at  all  times,  framed  under  glass,  as  evidence  of  tt 
authority  thereby  conferred.  Specific  exceptions  are  pei 
mitted  by  statute  in  administration  of  these  latter  provision 
The  local  inspectors  are  required  to  keep  a  record  of  certif 
cates  of  inspection  of  vessels,  their  boilers,  engines,  an 
machinery,  and  of  all  their  acts  in  their  examination  and  it 
spection  of  steamers,  whether  of  approval  or  disapproval.  , 
register,  enrollment,  or  license  shall  not  be  granted,  or  othe 
papers  issued  by  any  collector  or  other  chief  officer  of  cuj 
toms  to  any  vessel  subject  by  law  to  inspection  until  all  tl" 
provisions  applicable  to  such  vessel  have  been  fully  complie 
with  and  until  the  copy  of  the  certificate  of  inspection  fc 
such  vessel  has  been  filed  with  the  collector  or  other  chie 
officer  of  customs. 

By  the  act  of  1838,  the  local  inspectors  received  compens; 
tion  from  the  owners  of  vessels  inspected  at  the  rate  of  $ 
for  each  hull  and  $5  for  each  boiler  so  examined.  The  ac 
of  1852,  reorganizing  the  service,  provided  fixed  salaries  fc 
the  local  inspectors,  the  fees  for  inspection  to  be  turned  ovc 
to  the  collector  of  customs,  who  would  remit  to  the  Treasur 
of  the  United  States.  By  act  of  Congress  approved  Jun 
19,  1886  (24  Stat.  L.,  79),  the  collection  of  all  fees  for  th 
inspection,  examining,  and  licensing  of  steam- vessels,  incluc 
ing  inspection-certificates  and  copies  thereof,  was  discor 
tinued. 

It  can  readily  be  seen  that  the  authority  given  to  the  board 
of  local  inspectors  to  grant  or  withhold  a  certificate  of  ir 
spection  is  very  important,  and  vitally  affects  the  owners  c 
vessels  subject  to  regulation.  By  the  act  of  1852,  whic 
created  the  office  of  supervising  inspector,  appeals  wer 
authorized  from  the  decisions  of  the  local  inspectors  to  th 


ACTIVITIES  45 

supervising  inspector  of  the  district.  Again  in  the  act  of 
1871,  creating  the  office  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General, 
more  definite  provision  was  made  to  permit  appeals  to  be 
taken  from  the  decisions  of  the  local  boards,  regarding  the 
construction  or  equipment  of  vessels  and  the  issue  or  revoca- 
tion of  certificates  of  inspection  and  licenses  of  officers,  to 
the  supervising  inspectors,  who  were  given  the  same  powers 
to  summon  witnesses  and  compel  their  attendance  and  to  ad- 
minister oaths  as  were  conferred  upon  the  local  inspectors. 

All  previous  acts  authorizing  appeals  from  the  decisions  of 
the  boards  of  local  inspectors  were  repealed  by  the  act  ap- 
proved June  10,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  602),  which  provides  as 
follows  : 

That  whenever  any  person  directly  interested  in  or  affected 
by  any  decision  or  action  of  any  board  of  local  inspectors 
of  vessels  shall  feel  aggrieved  by  such  decision  or  action,  he 
may  appeal  therefrom  to  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  dis- 
trict ;  and  a  like  appeal  shall  be  allowed  from  any  decision  or 
action  of  a  supervising  inspector  to  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General,  whose  decision,  when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce,  shall  be  final :  Provided,  however,  That  application 
for  such  reexamination  of  the  case  by  a  supervising  inspector 
or  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  shall  be  made  within 
thirty  days  after  the  decision  or  action  appealed  from  shall 
have  been  rendered  or  taken :  And  provided  further,  That 
in  all  cases  reviewed  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act  where 
the  issue  is  the  suspension  or  revocation  of  the  license  of  a 
licensed  officer  such  officer  shall  be  allowed  to  be  represented 
by  counsel  and  to  testify  in  his  own  behalf. 

The  reviewing  officer  is  given  the  same  powers  to  admin- 
ister oaths  and  to  summon  and  compel  the  attendance  of  wit- 
nesses as  are  given  to  the  local  boards,  and  he  may  revoke, 
change,  or  modify  the  decision  under  review.  The  Secre- 
tary of  Commerce  is  authorized  to  make  such  regulations  as 
may  be  necessary  to  secure  a  proper  enforcement  of  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act.7 

7  For  violations  of  the  provisions  of  law  regarding  the  inspection 


46  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Reinspection  of  Vessels.  ^Provision  for  the  inspection 
vessels,  at  other  times  than  at  the  annual  inspection,  was  ma 
in  the  act  of   1871.     This  particular  section  of  that  act, 
amended  by  the  act  approved  March  3,   1905    (33  Stat.  ] 
1023),  is  in  force  at  the  present  time,  and  provides  as  follo\\ 

In  addition  to  the  annual  inspection,  the  local  inspectc 
shall  examine,  at  proper  times,  steamers  arriving  and  depa 
ing  to  and  from  their  respective  ports,  so  often  as  to  enal 
them  to  detect  any  neglect  to  comply  with  the  requiremet 
of  law,  and  also  any  defects  or  imperfections  becoming  appc 
ent  after  the  inspection  aforesaid,  and  tending  to  render  t 
navigation  of  the  vessels  unsafe;  and  if  they  shall  disco\ 

of  vessels  and  the  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  the  board 
supervising  inspectors  made  in  pursuance  of  the  same  various  pen 
ties  are  prescribed.  Owners  of  steam-vessels  not  having  an  t 
expired  certificate  of  approval  or  an  unexpired  temporary  certifies 
of  approval  placed  and  kept  in  the  vessel  as  required  are  liable 
a  penalty  of  $100  for  every  passenger  received  on  board.  Licens 
officers 'of  vessels  are  required  to  assist  inspectors  in  their  examir 
tion  of  any  vessels  to  which  such  licensed  officers  belong  and 
point  out  all  defects  and  imperfections  known  to  them  in  the  hi 
equipments,  boilers,  or  machinery  of  such  vessel ;  also  to  make  kno1 
to  the  inspectors  at  the  earliest  opportunity  all  accidents  or  occt 
rences  producing  serious  injury  to  the  vessel,  her  equipmen 
boilers,  or  machinery;  and  in  default  thereof  the  license  of  any  su 
officer  so  neglecting  or  refusing  shall  be  suspended  or  revoked.  1 
specters,  on  the  other  hand,  are  forbidden  to  impart  the  name  of  a 
such  licensed  officers  giving  this  information  or  the  source  of  th' 
information,  to  any  person  other  than  their  superiors  in  the  Stea 
boat-Inspection  Service,  under  penalty  of  dismissal  from  the  s« 
vice.  Every  inspector  who  willfully  certifies  falsely  on  any  mati 
concerning  the  inspection  of  a  vessel  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  r 
more  than  five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment  for  not  more  th 
six  months,  or  both.  A  similar  penalty  in  addition  to  forfeiture 
office  is  imposed  upon  inspectors  who  receive  any  fee  or  rewa 
for  their  services,  except  that  allowed  to  them  by  law. 

A  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars  is  imposed  upon  all  persons  cc 
structing  marine  boilers  of  iron  or  steel  plates  not  duly  stamp 
and  inspected  according  to  law  or  who  knowingly  deliver  for  i 
a  defective  boiler.  Furthermore,  any  person  directly  or  indirec 
concerned  in  altering  the  appurtenances  of  a  marine  boiler  in  su 
a  manner  as  to  defeat  the  regulations  prescribed  by  law  after  t 
issuance  of  a  certificate  by  the  inspectors  is  guilty  of  a  misdemear 
and  subject  to  a  fine  of  two  hundred  dollars,  and  may  also  be  i 
prisoned  not  exceeding  five  years. 


ACTIVITIES  47 

any  omission  to  comply  with  the  law,  or  that  repairs  have 
become  necessary  to  make  the  vessel  safe,  the  inspectors  shall 
at  once  notify  the  master,  in  writing-,  stating  in  the  notice 
what  is  required;  and  if  the  master  deems  the  requirements 
unreasonable  or  unnecessary,  he  may  apply  for  a  reexamina- 
tion  of  the  case  to  the  supervising  inspector  as  provided  in  the 
preceding  section.8  All  inspections  and  orders  for  repairs 
shall  be  promptly  made  by  the  inspectors,  and,  when  it  can 
be  safely  done  in  their  judgment,  they  shall  permit  repairs 
to  be  made  where  those  interested  can  most  conveniently  do 
them. 

The  law  further  provides  that  whenever  any  local  or  super- 
vising inspector  ascertains  to  his  satisfaction  that  any  vessel 
subject  to  inspection  is  being  navigated  without  complying 
with  the  terms  of  the  vessel's  certificate  regarding  equipment 
he  shall  order  the  owner  or  master  of  the  vessel  to  correct 
such  unlawful  conditions,  and  may  require  that  the  vessel 
at  once  cease  navigating  and  be  submitted  to  reinspection.  If 
his  orders  are  not  at  once  complied  with,  he  shall  revoke  the 
vessel's  certificate  of  inspection  and  no  new  certificate  shall 
be  again  issued  until  all  requirements  have  been  complied  with. 
Any  vessel  operating  or  navigating  after  the  revocation  of 
her  certificate  of  inspection  and  before  the  issuance  of  a  new 
certificate,  shall,  upon  application  by  the  inspector  to  any 
district  court  of  the  United  States  having  jurisdiction,  and  by 
proper  order  or  action  of  the  court,  be  seized  summarily  by 
way  of  libel  and  held  without  privilege  of  release  by  bail  or 
bond  until  a  proper  certificate  of  inspection  shall  have  been 
issued.  The  master  or  owner  of  any  vessel  whose  certificate 
has  been  thus  revoked  has  the  privilege,  within  thirty  days,  of 
an  appeal  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  for  a  reexamination 
of  the  case,  and  upon  such  appeal  the  Secretary  has  power  to 
revise,  modify,  or  set  aside  the  action  of  the  local  or  supervis- 
ing inspector  and  direct  the  issuance  to  the  vessel  of  her 

8  The  section  here  referred  to  is  R.  S.  Section  4452  which  permits 
the  master  or  owner  of  a  vessel  to  appeal  from  the  decision  of  a  local 
board  to  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  district  who  has  authority 
to  revoke,  change  or  modify  the  decision  of  such  local  board. 


48  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

original  certificate  or  a  new  certificate  of  inspectic 
Under  the  present  regulations  established  by  the  board 
supervising  inspectors,  every  excursion  and  ferry  steam 
is  required  to  be  reinspected  at  least  three  times  during  t 
year  for  which  the  certificate  of  inspection  was  issued,  or  di 
ing  the  season  of  navigation.  With  respect  to  the  subject 
reinspections,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  in  his  « 
port  for  1915  expressed  the  opinion  that  such  reinspectic 
were  not  less  important  than  the  annual  inspections,  "sir 
the  purpose  of  reinspection  is  to  see  that  the  equipment  oi 
vessel  is  kept  up,  and  judging  from  reports  received  at  tl 
office  from  local  inspectors  it  would  appear  that  many  vess 
would  not  be  in  good  condition  after  the  annual  inspecti 
were  it  not  for  the  repeated  reinspections.  In  the  annt 
inspection  application  is  made  to  the  inspectors  to  have  tl 
work  done,  but  when  a  reinspection  is  made  the  inspectc 
take  the  initiative  and  visit  the  vessel  without  prior  notice." 

Inspection  and  Approval  of  Boiler  Plates.  Reference  t 
already  been  made  to  the  statutory  requirement  that  1 
boilers  of  steam  vessels  subject  to  inspection  must  be  cc 
structed  with  steel  plates  which  have  been  inspected  a 
stamped  by  an  officer  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Servi 
Section  4430  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  dating  back  to  the  ; 
of  1871,  provides  as  follows : 

Every  iron  or  steel  plate  used  in  the  construction  of  stea 
boat-boilers,  and  which  shall  be  subject  to  a  tensile  stra 
shall  be  inspected  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  prescribed 
the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  and  approved  by  the  S< 
retary  of  Commerce,  so  as  to  enable  the  inspectors  to  ascert; 
its  tensile  strength,  homogeneousness,  toughness,  and  abil 
to  withstand  the  effect  of  repeated  heating  and  cooling;  a 
no  iron  or  steel  plate  shall  be  used  in  the  construction  of  si- 
boilers  which  has  not  been  inspected  and  approved  under  th( 
rules. 

To  meet  the  rapid  growth  of  the  work  of  the  service  a 


ACTIVITIES  49 

to  facilitate  the  inspection  of  boiler  plates,  this  section  was 
amended,  by  act  of  Congress  approved  January  22,  1894  (28 
Stat.  L.,  28),  which  authorizes  the  Supervising  Inspector-Gen- 
eral, under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  to 
detail  assistant  inspectors  from  any  local  inspection  district 
where  they  may  be  employed,  to  inspect  iron  or  steel  boiler 
plates  at  the  mills  where  they  are  manufactured;  and  if  the 
plates  are  found  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  super- 
vising inspectors,  the  assistant  inspectors  are  authorized  to 
stamp  them  with  their  initials  followed  by  the  letters  and 
words  "U.  S.  Assistant  Inspector."  Material  so  stamped 
shall  be  accepted  by  the  local  inspectors  in  the  district  where 
such  material  is  to  be  manufactured  into  marine  boilers  as 
being  in  full  compliance  with  the  requirements. 

Manufacturers  of  iron  or  steel  plates,  made  for  use  in  the 
construction  of  steamboat-boilers,  are  also  required  to  stamp 
the  same  distinctly  and  permanently  with  the  name  of  the 
manufacturer,  the  place  where  manufactured,  and  the  number 
of  pounds  of  tensile  strength  it  will  bear  to  the  sectional 
square  inch.9 

Inspection  and  Approval  of  Equipment.  It  has  also  been 
found  a  great  aid  in  facilitating  the  work  of  the  inspection 
of  the  equipment  of  vessels,  to  inspect  and  approve  such 
equipment  at  the  place  where  manufactured.  The  construc- 
tion of  life-boats,  life-rafts,  and  life-preservers  is  made  sub- 
ject to  the  approval  of  the  proper  officers  of  the  Steamboat- 
Inspection  Service  under  the  Seamen's  Act  of  1915  and  the 
regulations  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  adopted  in 
pursuance  thereof.  For  example,  supervising  inspectors  of 

9  Any  person  who  affixes  a  forged  or  counterfeit  stamp  such  as 
authorized  to  be  put  on  by  an  assistant  inspector,  shall  be  deemed 
guilty  of  a  felony  and  shall  be  fined  not  less  than  one  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  imprisoned  not  less  than  two  years  nor  more  than  five 
years.  The  minimum  penalty  above  provided  for  is  also  imposed 
upon  any  person  who  counterfeits  any  of  the  marks  or  stamps  pre- 
scribed for  boiler-iron  or  steel  plates,  or  who  causes  to  be  stamped 
ialsely  any  such  plates. 


50  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

districts  where  life-boats  are  built  are  authorized  "to  det; 
an  assistant  or  local  inspector  to  any  place  where  life-boa 
are  being  built,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  carefully  inspect  ai 
examine  the  construction  of  such  life-boats;  and  he  sh; 
satisfy  himself  that  such  life-boats  are  constructed  in  accor 
ance  with  the  drawings,  or  blue  prints,  and  specifications  fn 
nished  by  the  builders."  Such  drawings,  or  blue  prints,  ai 
specifications  showing  and  explaining  the  construction  of  lif 
boats  must  be  furnished  by  the  builders  to  the  suprvisii 
inspector  of  the  district.  When  the  assistant  or  local  i 
spector  approves  the  construction  of  the  boat,  he  is  direct 
to  stamp  his  initials,  together  with  the  letters  "U.  S.  I."  on 
plate  required  to  be  affixed  to  the  boat  by  the  builder,  whi< 
also  contains  the  builder's  name,  number  of  the  boat,  date  • 
construction,  cubical  contents,  and  number  of  persons  the  bo 
will  carry.  The  initials  of  the  assistant  or  local  inspect 
are  satisfactory  evidence  to  all  parties  interested  that  the  bo 
has  been  constructed  in  accordance  with  the  drawings,  or  bli 
prints,  and  specifications  on  file.  Similar  regulations  ha 
been  established  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  r 
garding  the  construction  of  life-rafts.  The  complete  install 
tion  of  all  mechanical  boat  davits  is  required  to  be  tested  ai 
demonstrated  for  strength  and  efficiency  at  the  place  of  man 
facture,  in  the  presence  of  an  inspector,  and  if  the  inspect 
is  satisfied  that  the  device  is  efficient  in  strength  and  operatic 
he  is  authorized  to  stamp  it,  as  in  the  cas.e  of  life-boats  ar 
rafts. 

Samples  of  every  type  of  life-preserver,  ring  life-buoy,  lin 
carrying  gun,  and  fire-extinguisher  are  tested  to  determii 
whether  they  meet  the  requirements  of  the  board  of  supervi 
ing  inspectors.  In  the  case  of  life-preservers,  samples  mu 
be  accompanied  by  specifications,  blue  prints,  or  drawings, 
triplicate,  and  they  are  approved  only  after  a  satisfactory  se 
vice  test  has  been  witnessed  by  the  board  of  supervising  i 
spector s,  an  executive  committee  thereof,  or  by  the  Committ 
on  Life-Saving  Appliances.  Samples  of  buoys  and  lin 


ACTIVITIES  51 

carrying  guns  are  also  tested  and  approved  by  the  board  or 
a  committee  thereof,  but  tests  of  fire-extinguishers  are  now 
made  by  the  Bureau  of  Standards  and  a  report  made  by  that 
bureau  to  the  board,  which  then  determines  whether  the  ex- 
tinguishers shall  be  approved  for  use  on  vessels  subject  to 
inspection.  The  supervising  inspector  of  the  district  is 
authorized  to  detail  a  local  or  assistant  inspector  to  any  place 
where  life-preservers  or  ring-buoys  are  manufactured  to 
examine  and  stamp  them  if  in  accordance  with  the  require- 
ments of  the  board.  Life-preservers  and  buoys  bearing  such 
stamp  are  accepted  as  meeting  all  requirements  of  law  and 
regulations  as  to  original  construction  by  inspectors  of  the 
service. 

Inspection  for  Other  Departments.  In  addition  to  the  in- 
spection of  vessels  of  the  merchant  marine,  the  local  in- 
spectors also  examine,  on  request  by  the  proper  department, 
the  boilers  of  Government  vessels,  and  the  boilers  in  public 
buildings,  and  they  also  test  steel  plate  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  boilers  for  Government  vessels  when  requested.  The 
present  Supervising  Inspector-General  of  the  service,  testify- 
ing before  the  Committee  on  Merchant  Marine  and  Fisheries 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  January,  1920,  in  answer 
to  a  question  with  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  work  performed 
by  the  service  for  other  departments,  said : 

Naval  vessels  are  not  subject  to  inspection  by  our  office 
and  we  do  very  little  work  for  them.  Once  in  a  while  they 
may  ask  us  probably  to  inspect  a  piece  of  steel  for  them  for 
one  of  their  boilers.  Two  of  the  vessels  of  the  Army  Trans- 
port Service  are  inspected  by  our  service  and,  under  the  reg- 
ulations of  the  Army  Transport  Service,  have  to  meet  our 
rules  and  regulations  and  to  meet  the  law.  They  are  inspected 
just  the  same  as  any  other  vessel.  All  of  the  vessels  of  the 
Engineer  Department  and  the  Mississippi  River  Commission 
are  inspected  by  us.  ...  Public  vessels  of  the  United  States, 
that  means  those  vessels  whose  title  is  vested  in  the  United 
States,  are  not  subject,  under  the  law,  to  inspection;  but  under 


52  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  War  Department  and  of  tr 
different  departments  and  bureaus  who  own  those  vessels,  the 
subject  those  vessels  to  inspection.  We  pass  upon  their  boilei 
— their  boiler  construction;  we  inspect  the  boiler  at  ever 
army  post  in  this  country  and  all  public  buildings.  They  ca 
upon  us  to  inspect  those  boilers  and  we  are  always  ready  an 
have  always  done  it. 

The  total  number  of  Government  vessels  inspected  by  tl: 
service  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  was  eighty 
two,  and  the  total  number  of  boilers  2096. 

The  rapid  increase  of  the  American  merchant  marine  du: 
ing  the  war  period,  largely  under  the  operation  and  contn 
of  the  United  States  Shipping  Board,  greatly  enlarged  tl: 
duties  thus  imposed  upon  officers  of  the  Steamboat-Inspectio 
Service.  The  bureau  was  called  upon  by  the  Shipping  Boar 
to  examine  the  interned  German  vessels  after  seizure  and  tl: 
damage  that  was  found  to  have  been  done  to  those  vesse 
greatly  increased  the  magnitude  of  the  task.  The  inspectoi 
were  also  busily  engaged  in  cooperating  with  the  recruitin 
service  of  the  Shipping  Board  in  furnishing  information  wit 
reference  to  the  officers  who  were  available  to  man  the  ship 
and  also  in  approving  the  applications  of  persons  who  d< 
sired  to  enter  the  nautical  schools  then  being  conducted  by  tt 
recruiting  service  of  the  board.  By  an  act  approved  Oc 
25,  1919  (41  Stat.  L.,  305),  all  vessels  owned  and  operate 
by  the  United  States  Shipping  Board  or  by  any  corporatio 
under  its  supervision  and  control  were  expressly  made  sul 
ject  to  inspection  by  the  officers  of  the  Steamboat-Inspectio 
Service. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  work  of  inspection  for  othc 
departments  performed  by  this  service,  for  which  it  receive 
no  compensation  except  traveling  expenses  incurred  thereii 
constitutes  a  considerable  added  burden  upon  the  limited  pei 
sonnel.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Secretary  of  Con 
merce  and  Labor,  in  his  annual  report  for  1908,  suggeste 
an  extension  of  the  work  of  the  service  to  an  inspection  c 


ACTIVITIES  53 

locomotive  boilers  and  equipment,  as  the  best  means  of  pre- 
venting the  appalling  loss  of  life  due  to  locomotive  boiler  ac- 
cidents. Such  an  extension,  of  course,  would  have  neces- 
sitated a  large  extension  to  the  force  of  inspectors.  The 
recommendation,  however,  failed  to  meet  the  approval  of  Con- 
gress.1 

Examination  and  Licensing  of  Marine  ^Officers.  The 
issuance  of  licenses  by  the  boards  of  local  inspectors  to  engi- 
neers and  pilots  of  steamers  carrying  passengers  was  first 
authorized,  as  an  activity  of  the  service,  in  1852.  The  act 
of  1871  provided  for  the  licensing  of  masters,  chief  mates, 
engineers  and  pilots  of  all  steam-vessels,  and  made  it  unlaw- 
ful to  employ  any  person  in  any  of  these  capacities  who  was 
not  licensed.  This  statute  was  amended  by  the  act  of  Decem- 
ber 21,  1898  (30  Stat.  L.,  764),  to  include  the  masters  and 
chief  mates  of  sail  vessels  of  over  700  tons  and  all  other 
vessels  or  barges  of  over  100  tons  burden  carrying  passengers 
for  hire.  The  law  now  in  force  provides : 

The  boards  of  local  inspectors  shall  license  and  classify  the 
masters,  chief  mates,  and  second  and  third  mates,  if  in  charge 
of  a  watch,  engineers,  and  pilots  of  all  steam-vessels,  and  the 
masters  of  sail  vessels  of  over  seven  hundred  gross  tons,  and 
all  other  vessels  of  over  one  hundred  gross  tons  carrying 
passengers  for  hire.  It  shall  be  unlawful  to  employ  any  person 
or  for  any  person  to  serve  as  a  master,  chief  mate,  engineer 
or  pilot  of  any  steamer  or  as  master  of  any  sail  vessel  of 
over  seven  hundred  gross  tons,  or  of  any  other  vessel  of 
over  one  hundred  gross  tons  carrying  passengers  for  hire  who 
is  not  licensed  by  the  inspectors;  and  anyone  violating  this 
section  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  one  hundred  dollars  for 
each  offense. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  1871,  still  in  force,  offi- 
:ers  navigating  tug-boats,  towing-boats,  and  freight-boats 

1  The  act  of  February  17,  1911  (36  Stat.  L.,  913)  provides  for  the 
nspection  of  locomotive  boilers  by  inspectors  reporting-  to  the  In- 
erstate  Commerce  Commission. 


54  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

are  also  required  to  be  licensed  and  are  subject  to  the  same 
provisions  of  law  as  officers  navigating  passenger  steamers. 
The  present  law  further  requires  that  no  ferry-boat,  canal- 
boat,  yacht,  of  other  small  craft  of  like  character  propelled  by 
steam  shall  be  navigated  without  a  licensed  engineer  and  a  li- 
censed pilot.  By  an  act  approved  January  18,  1897  (29  Stat. 
L.>  489),  this  provision  was  made  applicable  to  "all  vessels  of 
above  fifteen  gross  tons  carrying  freight  or  passengers  for 
hire,  but  not  engaged  in  fishing  as  a  regular  business,  pro- 
pelled by  gas  fluid,  naphtha,  or  electric  motors."  An  act 
approved  May  16,  1906  (34  Stat.  L.,  193),  provides  that  nc 
vessel  "of  fifteen  gross  tons  or  less  propelled  in  whole  or  in 
part  by  gas,  gasoline,  petroleum,  naphtha,  fluid,  or  electricity," 
while  carrying  passengers  for  hire,  shall  be  operated  or  navi- 
gated except  in  charge  of  a  person  duly  licensed  for  such 
service  by  the  local  board  of  inspectors.  Section  5  of  the 
Motor-Boat  Act  of  1910  modifies  the  above  acts  by  providing 
that  no  motor-boat,  defined  in  the  act  as  a  vessel  "pro- 
pelled by  machinery  and  not  more  than  sixty-five  feet  in 
length  except  tug-boats  and  tow-boats  propelled  by  steam," 
shall  be  operated  or  navigated,  while  carrying  passengers  foi 
hire,  except  in  charge  of  a  person  duly  licensed  for  such 
service  by  the  local  board  of  inspectors.  No  other  licensed 
officers  are  required  to  be  carried. 

Examinations  conducted  by  the  boards  of  local  inspectors 
to  determine  the  qualifications  of  applicants  requesting 
license  certificates  to  serve  as  masters,  mates,  engineers  anc 
pilots,  are  required  by  law  before  such  certificates  can  be 
granted.  Exception  is  made,  however,  in  the  case  of  the 
operators  of  motor-boats,  who  are  not  obliged  to  submit  tc 
such  examination  to  procure  a  license.19  Only  the  broad  out- 

10  This  exemption  in  the  law  in  the  case  of  operators  of  motor- 
boats  has  been  frequently  and  severely  criticised  by  the  Supervising 
Inspector-General.  That  officer,  in  his  annual  report  for  1911,  said 
in  this  connection:  "At  present  no  examination  is  required  as  the 
condition  of  obtaining  such  license,  and  it  must  be  apparent  to  any- 
one who  gives  the  matter  thought  that  many  persons  have  received 


ACTIVITIES  55 

lines  of  the  scope  of  these  examinations  are  laid  down  in  the 
statutes,  such  as  the  character,  nationality,  habits  of  life,  age, 
knowledge,  and  experience  of  the  applicant.  More  detailed 
rules  for  the  conduct  of  such  examinations  are  prescribed  by 
the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  which  vary,  of  course, 
according  to  the  trade  of  the  vessel  and  the  grade  of  license 
desired. 

Licenses  are  issued  for  a  term  of  five  years  and  may  be  re- 
newed at  the  end  of  that  time,  provided  (act  approved  Octo- 
ber 22,  1914;  38  Stat.  L.,  765)  "that  no  license  as  master, 
mate,  or  pilot  of  any  class  of  vessel  shall  be  renewed  without 
furnishing  a  satisfactory  certificate  of  examination  as  to  color 
blindness."  ll  The  collection  of  fees  for  the  issuance  of 
such  licenses  was  abolished  by  act  of  Congress  approved  June 
19,  1886  (24  Stat.  L.,  79),  which  also  abolished  the  collection 
of  fees  for  the  inspection  of  vessels.  Local  inspectors  are 
required  to  keep  a  record  of  all  licenses  granted  to  masters, 
mates,  pilots,  and  engineers,  and  of  all  rejections  of  applica- 
tions. In  the  case  of  the  latter,  reports  must  be  made  in  writ- 
ing to  the  supervising  inspectors  of  their  respective  districts 
containing  all  testimony  received  in  connection  with  examina- 
tions. As  was  noted  in  the  case  of  rejection  of  certificates 
of  inspection  any  applicant  for  an  officer's  license  meeting 
with  an  adverse  decision  from  a  board  of  local  inspectors  may 
appeal  the  same  to  the  supervising  inspector,  and  if  the  latter 
upholds  the  action  of  the  local  board,  he  may  appeal  further 

license  to  operate  motor-boats,  who  are  in  fact  not  competent  to  hold 
such  license  and  who  jeopardize  not  only  their  own  life  and  the 
lives  of  persons  traveling  with  them,  but  also  the  lives  of  persons 
traveling  on  inspected  steamers  commanded  by  duly  licensed  men, 
and  it  does  seem  that  as  a  matter  of  public  policy,  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  life  and  property,  the  operators  of  motor-boats  should  be 
required  to  pass  a  suitable  examination  before  receiving  license." 

11  This  proviso  was  adopted  to  silence  objections  that  had  arisen 
against  the  earlier  rule  adopted  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspec- 
tors established  in  1880.  The  objectors  questioned  the  authority  of 
the  board  to  require  visual  tests  of  applicants  for  officer's  licenses  to 
be  conducted  by  surgeons  of  the  Public  Health  and  Marine  Hospital 
Service. 


56  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  whose  decision  in  all 
cases  is  final.  States  and  municipal  governments  are  forbid- 
den to  impose  upon  pilots  of  steam-vessels  any  obligation  to 
procure  a  license  in  addition  to  that  issued  by  the  United 
States,  or  to  levy  any  pilot  charges  upon  any  steamer  piloted 
by  an  officer  licensed  by  the  United  States. 

By  an  act  approved  May  28,  1896  (29  Stat.  L.,  188),  all 
officers  of  vessels  of  the  United  States  having  charge  of  a 
watch,  including  pilots,  must  in  all  cases  be  citizens  of  the 
United  States.  The  word  "officers"  as  used  in  this  act  in- 
cludes the  chief  engineer  and  each  assistant  engineer  in  charge 
of  a  watch  on  vessels  propelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam, 
This  statute  was  amended  by  an  act  approved  March  4,  1907 
(34  Stat.  L.,  1411),  permitting  Metlakahtla  Indians  of 
Alaska  to  receive  and  obtain  such  licenses;  and  further  by 
Sec.  2  of  the  act  approved  August  18,  1914  (38  Stat.  L., 
698),  which  authorized  the  President,  ''whenever  in  his  dis- 
cretion the  needs  of  foreign  commerce  may  require,  to  sus- 
pend by  order,  so  far,  and  for  such  length  of  time  as  he  may 
deem  desirable,  the  provisions  of  law  prescribing  that  all  the 
watch  officers  of  vessels  of  the  United  States  registered  for 
foreign  trade  shall  be  citizens  of  the  United  States." 

For  the  enforcement  of  the  statutory  provisions  with  re- 
gard to  the  licensing  of  the  officers  of  vessels  the  present 
law  provides  as  follows : 

Every  master,  chief  mate,  engineer,  and  pilot,  who  receives 
a  license,  shall,  before  entering  upon  his  duties,  make  oath 
before  one  of  the  inspectors  herein  provided  for,  to  be  recorded 
with  the  certificate,  that  he  will  faithfully  and  honestly,  accord- 
ing to  his  best  skill  and  judgment,  without  concealment  or 
reservation,  perform  all  the  duties  required  of  him  by  law. 

Every  applicant  for  license  as  either  master,  mate,  pilot,  or 
engineer,  under  the  provisions  of  this  title  [Regulation  of 
Steam- Vessels]  shall  make  and  subscribe  to  an  oath  or  affirma- 
tion, before  one  of  the  inspectors  referred  to  in  this  title,  to 
the  truth  of  all  statements  set  forth  in  his  application  for 
such  license. 


ACTIVITIES  57 

Any  person  who  shall  make  or  subscribe  to  any  oath  or 
affirmation  authorized  in  this  title  and  knowing  the  same  to 
be  false  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  perjury. 

Every  licensed  master,  mate,  pilot,  or  engineer  who  shall 
change,  by  addition,  interpolation,  or  erasure  of  any  kind, 
any  certificate  or  license  issued  by  any  inspector  or  inspector 
referred  to  in  this  title,  shall,  for  every  such  offense,  upon 
conviction,  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  five  hundred 
dollars  or  by  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  for  a  term  not  ex- 
ceeding three  years. 

Every  master,  mate,  engineer,  and  pilot  who  shall  receive  a 
license  shall,  when  employed  on  any  vessel,  within  forty-eight 
hours  after  going  on  duty,  place  his  certificate  of  license, 
which  shall  be  framed  under  glass,  in  some  conspicuous  place 
in  such  vessel,  where  it  can  be  seen  by  passengers  and  others 
at  all  times :  Provided,  that  in  case  of  emergency  such  officer 
may  be  transferred  to  another  vessel  of  the  same  owners  for 
a  period  not  exceeding  forty-eight  hours  without  the  transfer 
of  his  license  to  such  other  vessel;  and  for  every  neglect  to 
comply  with  this  provision  by  any  such  master,  mate,  engineer 
or  pilot,  he  shall  be  subject  to  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars, 
or  to  the  revocation  of  his  license. 

Examination  and  Certification  of  Seamen  and  Life  Boat 
Men.  By  the  provisions  of  the  important  act  passed  by 
Congress  approved  March  4,  1915  (38  Stat.  L.,  1164),  known 
as  the  Seamen's  Act,  a  new  activity  was  imposed  upon  the 
Steamboat-Inspection  Service  involving  a  large  amount  of 
work  and  necessitating  a  material  increase  in  the  number  of 
employees  in  the  service.  The  new  activity  thus  authorized 
is  the  examination  and  certification  of  seamen  and  life-boat 
men.  The  express  terms  in  which  this  additional  duty  is  im- 
posed upon  the  service  are  as  follows : 

Any  person  may  make  application  to  any  board  of  local 
inspectors  for  a  certificate  of  service  as  able  seaman,  and  upon 
proof  being  made  to  said  board  by  affidavit  and  examination, 
under  rules  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  showing 
the  nationality  and  age  of  the  applicant  and  the  vessel  or 
vessels  on  which  he  has  had  service  and  that  he  is  entitled  to 
such  certificate  under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  the  board 


58  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

of  local  inspectors  shall  issue  to  said  applicant  a  certificate 
of  service,  which  shall  be  retained  by  him  and  be  accepted 
as  prima  facie  evidence  of  his  rating  as  an  able  seaman. 

In  the  regulations  contained  in  the  above  act  regarding 
life-saving  appliances,  a  specified  number  of  certificated  life- 
boat men  are  required  for  each  life-boat  or  raft,  according 
to  the  number  of  passengers  such  boats  may  carry.  By  "cer- 
tificated life-boat  man"  is  meant  any  member  of  the  crew  whc 
nolds  a  certificate  of  efficiency  issued  under  the  authority  oi 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce  who  is  directed  by  the  act  to  pro- 
vide for  the  issue  of  such  certificates. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  special  life-boat  man's  certificate  the 
applicant  must  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  an  officer  desig- 
nated by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  that  he  has  been  trained 
in  all  the  operations  connected  with  launching  of  life-boats 
and  the  use  of  oars;  that  he  is  acquainted  with  the  practical 
handling  of  the  boats  themselves;  and,  further,  that  he  is  cap- 
able of  understanding  and  answering  the  orders  relative  tc 
life-boat  service. 

In  the  work  of  certification  of  life-boat  men  the  Steam- 
boat-Inspection Service  is  assisted  by  officers  of  the  differem 
marine  services,  viz.,  the  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,  th( 
Bureau  of  Lighthouses,  the  Coast  Guard,  the  Bureau  of  Fish- 
eries, and  the  Navy  Department. 

Prior  to  the  passage  of  this  act,  there  were  no  statutory  01 
regulatory  requirements  as  to  ability  or  experience  of  the  cre\\ 
other  than  the  requirement  that  a  vessel  should  be  properl) 
manned.  There  was  no  age  requirement,  and  none  as  to  phys 
ical  condition,  ability,  and  experience  of  seamen  in  any  par 
of  the  crew.  Thus  the  provision  was  an  important  for  wan 
step  in  the  direction  of  improved  safety  conditions  on  boarc 
ship. 

Determination  of  Ship's  Complement  and  Accommoda 
tions  Therefor.  Another  important  provision  in  the  ac 
of  1871,  establishing  a  central  office  for  the  service  and  ex 
tending  the  scope  of  its  activities,  was  that  requiring  all  steam 


ACTIVITIES  59 

vessels  carrying  passengers  to  have  in  their  service  a  full  com- 
plement of  licensed  officers  and  full  crew,  sufficient  at  all 
times  to  manage  the  vessel.  This  law  was  amended  by  the 
act  of  March  3,  1913  (37  Stat.  L.,  732),  which  authorized  the 
local  inspectors  to  determine  the  necessary  complement  of  offi- 
cers and  crew  for  the  navigation  of  all  vessels  of  the  United 
States  subject  to  the  inspection  laws  and  to  enter  the  same 
in  the  certificates  of  inspection  of  such  vessels;  such  entry 
being  subject  to  appeal  to  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  dis- 
trict and  from  him  to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General. 
The  law  was  further  amended  by  the  "Seamen's  Act1'  of  1915, 
which,  in  addition  to  requiring  the  examination  and  certifica- 
tion of  seamen,  and  life-boat  men,  prescribes  the  percentage 
of  the  crew  who  must  be  of  a  rating  not  less  than  able  seamen. 
Section  4463  of  the  Revised  Statues,  as  thus  amended,  pro- 
vides as  follows: 

Any  vessel  of  the  United  States  subject  to  the  provisions  of 
this  title  [Regulation  of  Steam- Vessels]  or  to  the  inspection 
laws  of  the  United  States  shall  not  be  navigated  unless  she 
shall  have  in  her  service  and  on  board  such  complement  of 
licensed  officers  and  crew  including  certificated  life-boat  men, 
separately  stated,  as  may,  in  the  judgment  of  the  local  in- 
spectors who  inspect  the  vessel,  be  necessary  for  her  safe 
navigation.  The  local  inspectors  shall  make  in  the  certificate 
of  inspection  of  the  vessel  an  entry  of  such  complement  of 
officers  and  crew  including  certificated  life-boat  men,  separately 
stated,  which  may  be  changed  from  time  to  time  by  endorse- 
ment on  such  certificate  by  local  inspectors  by  reason  of  change 
of  conditions  of  employment.  Such  entry  or  indorsement  shall 
be  subject  to  a  right  of  appeal,  under  regulations  to  be  made 
by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  to  the  supervising  inspector, 
and  from  him  to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  who  shall 
have  the  power  to  revise,  set  aside,  or  affirm  the  said  determina- 
tion of  the  local  inspectors. 

Further  statutory  provisions  require  that  the  board  of  local 
inspectors  shall  make  an  entry  in  the  certificate  of  inspection 
of  every  o^ean,  and  coastwise  seagoing  merchant  vessel  pf  the. 


60  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

United  States  propelled  by  machinery,  and  of  every  oceango- 
ing vessel  carrying  passengers,  regarding  the  minimum  num- 
ber of  licensed  deck  officers  required  for  safe  navigation,  ac- 
cording to  a  scale  prescribed  by  law.12 

The  inspection  laws  of  the  United  States  and  the  statutor) 
provisions  regulating  the  transportation  of  passengers,  as  ha< 
been  noted  in  the  preceding  chapter,  were  first  directed  towarc 
the  safety  and  comfort  of  passengers  only,  but  the  presen* 
laws  also  require  suitable  accommodations  for  the  officers  anc 
crews  of  vessels.  In  general  it  is  the  duty  of  local  inspectors 
to  satisfy  themselves  that  every  vessel  submitted  to  their  in- 
spection "has  suitable  accommodations  for  passengers  and  tht 
crew,"  before  granting  a  certificate  of  inspection.  By  an  acl 
approved  March  3,  1897  (29  Stat,  L.,  697),  seagoing  vessels 
except  fishing  vessels,  yachts,  pilot  boats,  and  all  vessels  undei 
200  tons  registry,  were  required  to  provide  suitable  quarten 
for  their  crews.  The  Seamen's  Act  of  1915  amends  the  acl 
of  1897  by  prescribing  accommodations  such  as  sleeping  quar- 
ters, toilets,  washing  places,  and  hospital  facilities  to  be  fur- 
nished for  the  crews  on  all  merchant  vessels  of  the  United 
States.  Steamboats  plying  upon  the  Mississippi  River  or 
its  tributaries  are  required  to  furnish  an  appropriate  place  for 
the  crew,  which  must  conform  as  far  as  practicable  to  the 
general  requirements  for  all  vessels,  by  providing  sleeping 
room  in  the  engine  room  properly  protected  from  the  elements, 
under  the  direction  and  approval  of  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General. 

Investigations  of  Marine  Casualties  and  Violations  of  In- 
spection Laws.  The  legal  responsibility  of  officers  licensed 
by  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  for  loss  of  life  occasioned 
by  their  misconduct,  negligence,  or  inattention  to  duty  was 
first  recognized  in  the  act  of  1838.  This  responsibility  is  thus 
expressed  in  the  existing  law : 

12  This  section  does  not  apply,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  act  of 
1913,  to  fishing  or  whaling  vessels,  yachts  or  motor-boats,  as  de- 
fined in  the  motor-boat  act  of  1910. 


ACTIVITIES  61 

Every  captain,  engineer,  pilot,  or  other  person  employed  on 
any  steamboat  or  vessel,  by  whose  misconduct,  negligence  or 
inattention  to  his  duties  on  such  vessel  the  life  of  any  person 
is  destroyed,  and  every  owner,  charterer,  inspector  or  other 
public  officer,  through  whose  fraud,  neglect,  connivance,  mis- 
conduct, or  violation  of  law  the  life  of  any  person  is  destroyed, 
shall  be  fined  not  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars,  or  im- 
prisoned not  more  than  ten  years,  or  both. 

The  task  of  placing  responsibility  for  marine  accidents 
through  the  investigation  of  alleged  acts  of  incompetency  or 
misconduct  committed  by  officers  while  acting  under  the 
authority  of  licenses  issued  by  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Ser- 
vice, is  imposed  by  law  upon  the  local  boards  of  inspectors, 
who  are  empowered  to  summon  before  them  any  witnesses 
within  their  respective  districts  and  to  compel  their  attend- 
ance by  a  process  similar  to  that  used  in  the  United  States  dis- 
trict courts.  If,  after  conducting  such  an  investigation,  the 
board  shall  be  satisfied  that  such  licensed  officer  is  incom- 
petent, or  has  been  guilty  of  misbehavior,  negligence,  or  un- 
skillfulness,  or  has  endangered  life  or  wilfully  violated  any 
provision  of  the  steamboat-inspection  laws,  they  must  im- 
mediately suspend  or  revoke  his  license.  The  disbursing  clerk 
of  the  Department  of  Commerce  is  authorized  to  pay  the  fees 
of  witnesses  summoned  for  such  investigation.  The  law  fur- 
ther provides: 

That  if  any  licensed  officer  shall,  to  the  hindrance  of  com- 
merce, wrongfully  or  unreasonably  refuse  to  perform  his 
official  duties  after  having  signed  articles  or  while  employed  on 
any  vessel  as  authorized  by  the  terms  of  his  certificate  of 
license,  or  if  any  pilot  or  engineer  shall  refuse  to  admit  into 
the  pilot  house  or  engine  room  any  person  whom  the  master 
or  owner  of  the  vessel  may  desire  to  place  there  for  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  the  profession,  his  license  shall  be  revoked 
or  suspended  upon  the  same  proceedings  as  are  provided  in 
other  cases  of  revocation  or  suspension  of  such  license. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  June  10,  1918  (40  Stat. 
L.,  602),  already  quoted  in  detail,  the  decisions  of  the  local 


62  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

inspectors  are  subject  to  review  by  the  supervising  inspect' 
and  the  Supervising  Inspector-General. 

This  power  granted  to  the  local  boards  of  inspectors  to  i 
vestigate  acts  of  misconduct  and  incompetency  committ* 
by  licensed  officers  constitutes  the  sole  legal  basis  or  authori 
for  an  important  activity  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Se 
vice,  namely,  the  investigation  of  marine  casualties.  Sectk 
15,  Rule  V  of  the  General  Rules  and  Regulations  prescrib 
by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  provides  as  follows : 

The  licensed  officer  in  command  of  any  vessel  subject 
the  inspection  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  shall  repc 
in  writing  and  in  person  to  the  board  of  local  inspectors  nean 
the  port  of  first  arrival  any  accident  to  said  vessel  involvii 
loss  of  life,  or  damage  to  property  to  an  approximate  amou 
exceeding  $100,  and  shall  also  report  in  the   same  mann 
any  casualty  or  loss  of  life  from  whatever  cause  of  any  pers< 
on  board  such  vessel.     If  the  accident  happens  upon  the  hi| 
seas  or  without  the  jurisdiction  of  inland  waters  the  board 
whom  the  report  is  first  made  shall  make  the  investigatio 
but  if  the  accident  occurs  within  the  jurisdiction  of  inlai 
waters,  the  report  shall  be  transmitted  to  the  board  with 
whose  jurisdiction  the  accident  occurred,   which  board  sh; 
make  the  investigation,  except  in  cases  where,  in  the  judgme 
of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  better  results  may 
obtained  by  another  board  conducting  the  investigation, 
which  case  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  authorized 
direct  such  investigation  by  another  board:     Provided,  Th 
when  from  distance  it  may  be  inconvenient  to  report  in  pers< 
it  may  be  done  in  writing  only,  and  the  report  sworn  to  befo 
any  person  authorized  to  administer  oaths. 

The  language  of  this  rule  presupposes  some  statuto 
authority  in  the  local  inspectors  to  investigate  accidents,  whi 
in  fact  does  not  exist.  Notwithstanding  the  absence  of  su< 
express  authority,  however,  under  the  practice  of  the  servi< 
one  of  the  most  important  duties  that  devolves  upon  the  loc 
inspectors  is  the  investigation  of  accidents  on  or  about  vesst 
subject  to  the  service,  including  disasters  involving  great  lo 
of  life.  This  exercise  of  authority  in  excess  of  that  grant' 


ACTIVITIES  63 

by  law  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  fact  that  the  greater  number 
of  marine  casualties  relate  to  the  misconduct  or  negligence 
of  some  officer,  and  that  the  investigation  of  the  acts  of  officers 
also  involves  the  consideration  of  many  attending  circum- 
stances. Thus  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  in  his  annual  re- 
port for  1916,  pointed  out  that,  since  there  is  at  present  no 
general  authority  of  law  for  investigating  marine  disasters,  if 
there  were  an  accident  in  which  all  the  licensed  officers  were 
killed,  the  Department  would  have  no  lawful  authority  to  in- 
vestigate the  cause  of  the  disaster.  He  therefore  recommended 
that  authority  be  given  to  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  to 
investigate  marine  disasters  occurring  on  any  vessels  under  its 
supervision. 

Special  committees  or  boards  have  been  appointed  at  various 
times  to  investigate  serious  accidents  to  vessels  involving  large 
loss  of  life,  but  again  such  bodies  have  had  no  legal  standing, 
no  lawful  power  to  subpoena  and  examine  witnesses,  nor  to 
perform  other  essential  acts  necessary  to  conduct  a  thorough 
examination.  In  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Naviga- 
tion and  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  to  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce  on  October  16,  1915,  after  these  officers  had  inves- 
tigated the  circumstances  of  the  collision  between  the  steam- 
ships Monroe  and  Nantucket  on  January  30,  1914,  it  was 
recommended  that  a  tribunal  should  be  lawfully  established 
for  investigations  into  marine  casualties  involving  serious  loss 
of  life  similar  to  the  courts  of  inquiry  provided  for  in  the  Brit- 
ish Merchant  Shipping  Act  and  the  Canadian  Merchant  Ship- 
ping Act.  The  report  pointed  to  the  need  for  such  a  tribunal, 
as  shown  after  the  burning  of  the  steamer  General  Slocum  in 
1904  and  the  capsizing  of  the  steamer  Eastland  in  1915. 
Nothing  has  come  from  this  recommendation,  however,  and 
the  boards  of  local  inspectors  still  constitute  the  only  legal 
authority  to  investigate  marine  casualties,  and  their  work,  as 
has  been  already  pointed  out,  is  limited  to  placing  the  respon- 
sibility upon  the  officers  of  the  vessel  if  such  responsibility 
exists. 


64  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

It  should  be  kept  in  mind  throughout  the  entire  discussi 
of  the  activities  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service,  that  o] 
in  a  partial  degree  does  the  service  perform  the  duties  oi 
police  character  in  the  enforcement  of  the  navigation  la^ 
including  those  relating  to  the  inspection  of  vessels.  Its  act 
ities  are  almost  purely  those  of  working  out  in  detail  i 
conditions  that  must  be  met  by  vessels  as  regards  their  cc 
struction  and  equipment,  of  inspecting  vessels  for  the  purp( 
of  seeing  that  those  conditions  are  met,  and  certifying 
conditions  found,  and  of  examining  persons  desiring  to  sei 
as  pilots,  officers,  and  seamen  of  vessels  and  issuing  licen 
to  those  found  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of  such  pc 
tions.  When  it  has  performed  these  duties,  and  has  certif 
to  the  results,  its  responsibility  may  be  said  to  be  practica 
at  an  end.  Responsibility  for  enforcing  the  law,  that  is, 
seeing  that  vessels  are  not  navigated  without  complying  w 
all  requirements  regarding  matters  covered  by  the  steambo 
inspection  laws  and  other  laws  pertaining  to  navigation,  re 
largely  upon  officers  of  the  Customs  Service  and  the  Co; 
Guard. 

In  large  part  the  navigation  laws  fail  to  specify  the  p; 
ticular  service  that  shall  be  charged  with  the  enforcement 
their  provisions.  The  older  laws  in  general  imposed  t! 
obligation  upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  to  be  exercis 
through  the  collectors  of  customs  and  other  officers  of  1 
government.  This  duty  was  transferred  to  the  Secretary 
Commerce  and  Labor  and  later  to  the  Secretary  of  Commer 
Later  acts,  such,  for  example,  as  the  wireless-telegraph  a 
the  Motor-Boat  acts  of  1910  (36  Stat.  L.,  629;  36  Stat.  " 
462)  follow  the  same  practice.  Thus  both  of  these  two  a< 
provide  that: 

The  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  shall  make  su 
regulations  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure  the  proper  executi 
of  this  act  by  collectors  of  customs  and  other  officers  of  t 
government, 


ACTIVITIES  65 

The  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  delegated  the  work 
of  enforcing  these  two  acts  to  the  Commissioner  of  Naviga- 
tion. General  responsibility  for  the  administration  and  en- 
forcement of  the  navigation  and  shipping  laws  is  placed  upon 
the  Commissioner  of  Navigation.  The  law  thus  provides : 

The  Commissioner  of  Navigation,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce,  shall  have  general  superintendence  of 
the  commercial  marine  and  merchant  seamen  of  the  United 
States,  so  far  as  vessels  and  seamen  are  not,  under  existing 
laws,  subject  to  the  supervision  of  any  other  officer  of  the 
government. 

The  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation  in  performing 
this  function  of  administration  and  enforcement  are  discussed 
more  fully  in  the  monograph  on  that  particular  service.  The 
work  of  the  Coast  Guard  in  the  enforcement  of  these  laws, 
is  purely  that  of  a  police  character.  Its  vessels  have  the 
authority  and  are  charged  with  the  duty  of  stopping  and  board- 
ing vessels  for  the  purpose  of  determining  whether  the  pro- 
visions of  law  and  the  rules  and  regulations  laid  'down  by 
other  services  of  the  government  are  complied  with,  and  of 
taking  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure  such  compli- 
ance. The  work  of  this  service  was  supplemented  by  a  pro- 
vision in  the  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial  appropriation 
ict  for  1912,  approved  March  4,  1911  (36  Stat.  L.,  1170), 
is  follows: 

Enforcement  of  Navigation  Laws:  To  enable  the  Sec- 
*etary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  to  provide  and  operate  such 
notor-boats  and  employ  thereon  such  persons  as  may  be  nec- 
•ssary  for  the  enforcement,  under  his  direction  by  customs 
)fficers  of  the  laws  relating  to  the  navigation  and  inspection  of 
/essels,  boarding  of  vessels,  and  counting  of  passengers  on 
excursion  boats,  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

As  a  matter  of  final  analysis,  it  may  be  said  that  customs 
)fficers  constitute  the  basic  service  for  the  administration  and 
enforcement  of  the  navigation  laws,  and  that  the  field  services 


56  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation,  the  Steamboat-Inspection  S< 
vice  and  the  Coast  Guard,  and  the  motor-boats  employed  unc 
the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  are  merely  sv 
plemental  services  for  performing  certain  special  duties 
work  of  a  particular  character  at  particular  points.  Notwil 
standing  the  fact  that  these  officers  are  officers  of  anotr 
department  they  nevertheless  constitute  the  most  importa 
field  service  made  use  of  by  the  Department  of  Commerce 
performing  its  function  of  administering  the  navigation  a: 
shipping  laws.  With  respect  to  the  particular  portion  of  the 
laws  dealing  with  the  inspection  and  regulation  of  steal 
vessels,  the  present  law  provides  that  all  collectors,  or  oth 
chief  officers  of  the  customs,  as  well  as  all  the  inspectors  with 
the  several  districts,  shall  enforce  the  provisions  of  the  abo 
laws  against  all  steamers  arriving  and  departing.  The  la 
further  provides  that : 

Every  collector  or  other  chief  officer  of  the  customs, 
inspector,   who   negligently  or  intentionally   omits  any   du 
under  the  preceding  section   [as  summarized  above]   shall  1 
liable  to  removal  from  office,  and  to  a  penalty  of  one  hundr« 
dollars  for  each  offense,  to  be  sued  for  in  any  action  of  del 

A  register,  enrollment,  or  license  shall  not  be  granted,  < 
other  papers  be  issued  by  any  collector  or  other  chief  ofric 
of  customs  to  any  vessel  subject  by  law  to  inspection  und< 
this  title  [Regulation  of  Steam- Vessels]  until  all  the  prov 
sions  of  this  title  applicable  to  such  vessel  have  been  ful 
complied  with  and  until  the  copy  of  the  certificate  of  inspe 
tion  required  by  this  title  for  such  vessel  has  been  filed  wii 
said  collector  or  other  chief  officer  of  customs. 

Enforcement  by  inspectors  of  the  Steamboat-Inspectic 
Service  seldom  goes  beyond  the  act  of  suspension  or  revoc; 
tion  of  the  certificates  of  inspection  of  vessels  subject  to  the 
jurisdiction,  or  the  licenses  of  marine  officers.  Supervisir 
inspectors  are  authorized  by  law,  after  having  ascertained  1 
their  satisfaction  that  any  licensed  officer  or  owner  of  ar 
steam-vessel  has  failed  to  perform  his  duties,  to  report  tl 


ACTIVITIES  67 

same  to  the  local  inspectors,  and,  if  need  be,  "cause  the  neg- 
ligent or  offending  party  to  be  prosecuted."  The  indefiniteness 
of  this  grant  of  authority,  however,  leads  one  to  question  for 
what,  and  by  whom,  the  offending  party  is  to  be  prosecuted. 
Further,  local  inspectors  are  charged  by  law  with  the  duty, 
in  case  of  the  operation  of  a  vessel  after  the  suspension  or 
revocation  of  its  certificate  of  inspection,  to  apply  to  the 
Federal  District  Court  for  an  order  to  cause  such  vessel  to  be 
seized  summarily  and  held  without  release  under  bond.  In 
the  case  of  the  violation  of  a  statute  which  provides  a  penalty 
of  fine  or  imprisonment,  in  addition  to  the  suspension  or  re- 
vocation of  the  certificate  of  inspection  or  license,  the  inspec- 
tors generally  turn  the  guilty  parties  over  to  the  customs 
officers  for  criminal  prosecution. 

The  apparent  division  of  responsibility  in  the  enforcement 
of  the  navigation  and  inspection  laws,  has  been  the  subject  of 
severe  criticism,  and  urgent  recommendations  have  been  made 
looking  toward  the  concentration  of  this  work  under  one  bu- 
reau or  service.  It  is  sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  this  de- 
scriptive study,  however,  merely  to  call  attention  to  such 
division. 

Establishment  of  Regulations  to  Prevent  Collisions*     One 

of  the  important  duties  assigned  to  the  board  of  supervising 
inspectors  by  the  act  of  1871  was  the  establishment  of  such 
rules  and  regulations  from  time  to  time,  as  they  might  deem 
necessary,  to  be  observed  by  vessels  navigating  the  waters  of 
the  United  States  in  passing  each  other.  Such  regulations 
are  issued  by  the  board  under  the  title  "Pilot  Rules,"  two 
:opies  of  which,  duly  signed  by  the  members  of  the  board, 
are  furnished  to  each  vessel,  and  one  copy  must  at  all  times 
be  kept  posted  up  in  a  conspicuous  place  on  such  vessels. 
For  the  purpose  of  administering  the  pilot  rules,  the  waters 
of  the  United  Staes  are  divided  into  three  parts,  and  separate 
rules  are  made  for  each.  These  three  divisions  are :  ( i )  Atlan- 
:ic  and  Pacific  coast  inland  waters,  (2)  the  Great  Lakes  and 


68  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

their  connecting  and  tributary  waters  as  far  east  as  Montre 
(3)  rivers  whose  waters  flow  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a: 
their  tributaries,  and  the  Red  River  of  the  North. 

Preceding  the  provision  made  in  the  act  of  1871,  as  sui 
marized  above,  an  act  approved  April  29,  i864  (13  Stat.  1 
58),  prescribed  rules  "for  preventing  collisions  on  the  watt 
to  be  followed  in  the  navigation  of  vessels  of  the  Navy  ai 
of  the  mercantile  marine  of  the  United  States."  This  £ 
was  modified  by  a  statute,  approved  March  3,  1885  (23  Sfc 
L.,  438),  which  adopted  the  "Revised  International  Rules  ai 
Regulations  for  Preventing  Collisions  at  Sea,"  to  be  observ< 
in  the  navigation  of  all  public  and  private  vessels  of  t' 
United  States  upon  the  high  seas  and  in  the  coast  waters  < 
the  United  States.  The  act  of  1885  was  repealed  and  the  a 
of  1864  limited  in  its  application  by  an  act  approved  Augu 
19,  1890  (26  Stat.  L.,  320),  which  prescribed  regulations  f< 
preventing  collisions  at  sea  to  be  followed  "by  all  public  ar 
private  vessels  of  the  United  States  upon  the  high  seas  ar 
in  all  waters  connected  therewith,  navigable  by  seagoir 
vessels."  The  enforcement  of  this  latter  statute  was  postpone 
by  act  of  February  23,  1895  (28  Stat.  L.,  680),  and 
did  not  go  into  effect  until  July  i,  1897,  in  accordance  wit 
a  proclamation  issued  by  the  President  on  December  31,  189 
(29  Stat.  L.,  885).  The  rules  established  by  the  act  of  186 
are  now  limited  in  their  application  to  "rivers  whose  watei 
flow  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  their  tributaries  and  t 
the  Red  River  of  the  North,"  except  in  the  case  of  vesse 
propelled  by  gas,  fluid,  naptha,  or  electric  motors,  which,  b 
the  act  of  January  18,  1897  (29  Stat.  L.,  489),  are  subjet 
to  so  much  of  the  provisions  contained  in  the  above  act  "rela- 
ing  to  lights,  fog  signals,  steering  and  sailing  rules,  as  tli 
board  of  supervising  inspectors  shall,  by  their  regulation: 
deem  applicable  and  practicable  for  their  safe  navigation." 

Special  provisions  as  to  lights  and  signals  on  fishing  vessel 
and  steam  pilot  vessels,  serving  to  modify  the  act  of  1890,  ar 
contained  in  the  acts  approved  May  28,  1894  (28  Stat.  L.,  82) 


ACTIVITIES  69 

June  10,  1896  (29  Stat.  L.,  381),  February  19,  1900  (31 
Stat.  L.,  30),  and  January  19,  1907  (34  Stat.  L.,  850).  The 
Motor-Boat  Act  of  1910  also  prescribes  certain  specific  rules 
as  to  lights,  whistles,  fog  horns,  and  bells  to  be  observed  in 
the  operation  of  motor-boats  to  prevent  collisions.  The  most 
recent  legislation  on  this  subject  is  the  act  approved  May  25, 
1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  381),  which  authorizes  the  supervising 
inspectors  and  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  to  establish 
rules  concerning  the  lights  to  be  carried  by  ferry-boats,  and 
by  barges  and  canal-boats  when  in  tow  of  steam-vessels,  and 
also  concerning  warning  signals  on  vessels  working  on  wrecks, 
or  engaged  in  dredging  or  other  submarine  work. 

The  authority  given  to  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors 
by  the  act  of  1871  to  establish  regulations  to  be  observed  by 
vessels  in  passing  each  other  has  been  limited  by  subsequent 
enactments,  so  that  the  full  and  complete  authority  of  the 
board  now  extends  only  to  vessels  navigating  the  "rivers 
whose  waters  flow  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  their  tribu- 
taries, and  the  Red  River  of  the  North."  Regulations  applic- 
able to  vessels  navigating  the  "Great  Lakes,  and  their  connect- 
ing and  tributary  waters  as  far  east  as  Montreal"  are 
specifically  prescribed  in  an  act  of  Congress  approved  Febru- 
ary 8,  1895  (2&  Stat.  L.,  645),  but  the  board  of  supervising 
inspectors  is  authorized  to  establish  additional  regulations 
which  they  deem  necessary.  An  act  approved  June  7,  1897 
(30  Stat.  L.,  96),  also  prescribes  specific  rules  to  be  observed 
by  vessels  navigating  the  "inland  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  coasts,"  although  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors 
is  empowered  to  establish  additional  rules  not  inconsistent  with 
the  provisions  of  the  act.13 

13  The  act  of  August  19,  1890,  noted  above,  provides  that  the  rules 
laid  down  in  that  act  for  vessels  upon  the  high  seas  shall  not  ''in- 
terfere with  the  operation  of  a  special  rule  made  by  local  authority 
relative  to  the  navigation  of  any  harbor,  river  or  inland  water." 
The  act  of  1897,  therefore,  declares  its  provisions  to  be  special 
rules  duly  made  by  local  authority.  Its  general  purpose  is  to  as- 
similate, as  far  as  practicable,  the  local  with  the  international  rules. 
The  division  between  the  high  seas  and  "any  harbor,  river,  or  in- 


70  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Determination  of  Passenger  Allowance.  The  first  legisl; 
tion  enacted  by  Congress  looking  toward  a  restriction  of  tl 
number  of  passengers  vessels  should  be  permitted  to  carry  w; 
the  act  approved  February  22,  1847  (9  Stat.  L.,  127),  whi( 
established  a  maximum  number  of  passengers,  based  on  tl 
tonnage  of  vessels.  This  act  was  superseded  by  an  act  a 
proved  March  3,  1855  (10  Stat.  L.,  715),  as  amended  1 
act  of  July  4,  1864  (13  Stat.  L.,  390).  The  basic  section  < 
the  present  law  giving  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  supe 
vision  over  the  transportation  of  passengers  dates  back  to  t 
act  of  1871,  and  provides  as  follows: 

The  inspectors  shall  state  in  every  certificate  of  inspecti< 
granted  to  steamers  carrying  passengers,  other  than  ferr 
boats,  the  number  of  passengers  of  each  class  that  any  su 
steamer  has  accommodations  for,  and  can  carry  with  pruden 
and  safety. 

It  shall  not  be  lawful  to  take  on  board  of  any  steamer 
greater  number  of  passengers  than  is  stated  in  the  certifies 
of  inspection;  and  for  every  violation  of  this  provision  t 
master  or  owner  shall  be  liable,  to  any  person  suing  for  t 
same,  to  forfeit  the  amount  of  passage-money  and  ten  dolla 
for  each  passenger  beyond  the  number  allowed.14 

Under  authority  of  this  provision,  local  inspectors  have  e 
elusive  jurisdiction  in  the  matter  of  fixing  the  number 
passengers  that  may  be  carried  on  board  steamers.  Such 
system,  designed  to  meet  varying  local  conditions  and  differs 
types  of  vessels,  however,  does  not  lend  itself  to  a  unifoi 
administration  of  law.  The  judgment  of  all  inspectors  is  r 
the  same;  one  inspector  may  err  in  permitting  a  steamer 

land  water"  is  fixed  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  under  author 
of  an  act  approved  February  19,  1895  (2&  Stat.  L.,  672). 

14  By  an  act  of  July  9,  1886  (24  Stat.  L.,  129),  as  amended  by 
act  of  February  23,  1901  (31  Stat.  L.,  800),  supervising  inspectc 
are  authorized  to  issue  licenses  to  tow-boats,  oyster  steamers,  a 
fishing  steamers  on  the  Great  Lakes  and  inland  waters,  to  car 
such  persons  on  board  without  hire,  in  addition  to  their  crews,  as  < 
necessary  to  carry  on  their  legitimate  business. 


ACTIVITIES  71 

carry  more  passengers  than  its  capacity  justifies,  whereas  an- 
other may  err  in  not  permitting  a  steamer  to  carry  as  many 
passengers  as  might  be  safely  and  prudently  allowed.  If  it 
were  practicable  to  have  a  uniform  and  general  rule  by  which 
passenger  allowance  could  be  estimated,  it  would  be  most 
desirable,  but  under  the  varying  conditions  it  seems  practically 
impossible  to  put  such  a  rule  into  effect.  The  bureau  has 
repeatedly  warned  local  inspectors  in  the  past  that  the  sole 
responsibility  is  theirs,  and  that  they  would  be  held  responsible 
in  the  event  of  disaster.  There  is  one  factor,  however,  which 
tends  to  control  the  allowance  of  passengers,  and  that  is  the 
present  requirement  in  regard  to  life-boat  equipment;  for 
where  steamers  are  boated  according  to  the  number  of  passen- 
gers carried,  they  are  restricted  in  their  passenger  allowance 
by  the  extent  of  their  equipment,  and  consequently  cannot 
carry  a  larger  number  of  passengers  than  is  justified  by  their 
life-boat  capacity. 

The  board  of  inquiry  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce to  investigate  the  sinking  of  the  steamer  Eastland  in 
1915,  recommended  more  strict  supervision  over  the  work  of 
local  inspectors  in  determining  the  passenger  allowance  of 
steam-vessels.  Congress  acted  upon  this  recommendation  by 
passing  an  act,  approved  February  14,  1917  (39  Stat.  L., 
918),  which  amends  the  section  of  the  act  of  1871,  above 
quoted,  by  adding  the  following : 

They  [the  local  inspectors]  shall  report  their  action  to  the 
supervising  inspector  of  the  district,  who  may  at  any  time 
order  the  number  of  such  passengers  decreased,  giving  his 
reasons  therefor  in  writing,  and  thereupon  the  board  of  local 
inspectors  shall  change  the  certificate  of  inspection  of  such 
vessel  to  conform  with  the  decision  of  the  supervising  inspec- 
tor. Whenever  the  allowance  of  passengers  shall  be  increased 
by  any  board  of  local  inspectors,  such  increase  shall  be  re- 
ported to  the  supervising  inspector  of  the  district,  together 
with  the  reasons  therefor,  and  such  increase  shall  not  become 
effective  until  the  same  has  been  approved  in  writing  by  the 
supervising  inspector. 


72  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

The  act  of  1871,  as  amended  by  an  act  approved  Ma 
28,  1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  424),  charges  the  master  of  ever 
passenger  steamer  with  the  duty  of  keeping  a  correct  com 
of  all  the  passengers  received  and  delivered  from  day  to  da; 
which  count  must  be  open  at  all  times  to  the  inspection  of  tf 
local  inpectors  and  officers  of  the  customs;  and  the  aggregai 
number  of  passengers  must  be  furnished  to  inspectors  as  ofte 
as  called  for.  A  correct  list  of  passengers  received  and  d< 
livered  from  day  to  day,  instead  of  a  direct  count,  is  require 
of  the  masters  of  seagoing  steamers  in  the  coastwise  trade  an 
by  the  masters  of  passenger  steamers  navigating  the  Gre; 
Lakes  on  routes  exceeding  three  hundred  miles.  Failure  c 
the  part  of  the  master  of  any  passenger  steamer,  through  ne^ 
ligence  or  design,  to  keep  such  a  count  or  list  of  passenger 
makes  him  liable  to  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars.  In  additic 
to  this  requirement,  inspectors  and  officers  of  customs  withi 
the  several  districts,  under  authority  of  the  act  of  1871,  whic 
charges  those  officers  with  the  duty  of  enforcing  the  provisior 
of  the  inspection  laws  against  all  steamers  arriving  and  d< 
parting,  have  for  many  years  counted  the  passengers  boardin 
vessels  under  their  jurisdiction,  especially  excursion  steamer 
Because  of  this  division  of  responsibility,  however,  made  ne< 
essary  by  the  inadequate  personnel  of  the  Steamboat-Inspectic 
Service,  it  is  possible  for  steamers  upon  which  passengei 
ought  to  be  counted  to  escape  observation.  The  Secretar 
of  Commerce  and  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  ha^ 
often  emphasized  the  advantages  in  the  way  of  efficient  open 
tion  and  supervision  to  be  gained  by  increasing  the  personn 
of  the  service  sufficiently  to  justify  imposing  all  of  this  wor 
upon  the  local  inspectors,  but  this  has  not  been  done.  Tl: 
bureau  instituted  a  system  in  1913  whereby  the  counts  c 
passengers  made  by  inspectors  and  customs  officers  are  r< 
ported  to  the  central  office.  Such  reports  are  carefullly  exan 
ined,  and  whenever  it  appears  that  there  is  any  overloading 
an  immediate  investigation  is  made. 

In  the  case  of  excursion  steamers,  the  act  of  1871  authorize 


ACTIVITIES  73 

the  local  inspectors  to  issue  special  permits  in  writing,  for 
each  occasion,  in  which  should  be  stated  the  additional  number 
of  passengers  that  could  be  carried  with  safety.  The  local 
inspectors  were  also  empowered  to  limit,  in  their  discretion, 
the  route  and  distance  for  such  excursions.  The  only  amend- 
ment or  modification  made  in  regard  to  the  issue  of  such 
permits  by  local  inspectors  since  1871  is  that  contained  in  the 
act  of  February  14,  1917  (39  Stat.  L.,  918),  which  provides 
that  the  issuance  of  such  special  permits  shall  be  reported  by 
the  board  of  local  inspectors  to  the  supervising  inspector  of 
the  district,  and  shall  not  be  effective  until  approved  by  the 
supervising  inspector. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  under  the  existing  laws, 
vessels  other  than  steamers  are  not  subject  to  restriction  in 
the  number  of  passengers.  Recommendations  looking  toward 
an  amendment  to  the  present  laws  extending  the  authority  of 
inspectors  in  determining  passenger  allowance  to  include  all 
private  vessels  of  the  United  States  have  been  made  from 
time  to  time  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  but  no 
action  has  been  taken  to  remedy  this  condition,  which  has  be- 
come dangerous  due  to  the  rapid  increase  in  the  use  of  motor- 
boats. 

Inspection  of  Passenger  Accomodations.  As  previously 
noted,  the  local  inspectors  must  satisfy  themselves,  before 
granting  to  the  owner  or  master  of  a  vessel  a  certificate  of 
inspection,  that  such  vessel  has  "suitable  accommodations  for 
passengers  and  the  crew."  The  first  legislation  looking  toward 
the  comfort  and  convenience  of  passengers  on  steam-vessels, 
as  well  as  their  safety,  was  the  act  of  March  3,  1855  (10 
Stat.  L.,  715)  which  charged  the  owners  of  vessels  with  the 
duty  of  providing  suitable  sleeping  quarters,  ventilation, 
food  and  water,  and  other  essentials  for  the  comfort  of  pas- 
sengers. 

"The  Passenger  Act,  1882"  (22  Stat.  L.,  186),  as  amended 
by  the  acts  of  February  9,  1905  (33  Stat.  L.,  711)  and 


74  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

December  19,  1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  583),  regulates  in  detail  the 
conditions  that  must  be  met  by  vessels  entering  port  with  steer 
age  passengers  (defined  in  the  act  as  "all  passengers  excep 
cabin  passengers")  from  a  foreign  country.  These  condi 
tions  cover  such  matters  as  sleeping  accommodations,  ventila 
tion,  toilet  facilities,  food,  hospital  accommodations,  discipline 
and  cleanliness.  In  respect  to  the  enforcement  of  these  pro 
visions  the  law  provides : 

That  the  collector  of  customs  of  the  collection  district  withii 
which,  or  the  surveyor  of  the  port  at  which,  any  such  steam 
ship  or  other  vessel  arrives,  shall  direct  an  inspector  or  othe 
officer  of  the  customs  to  make  an  examination  of  the  vessel 
and  to  admeasure  the  compartments  or  spaces  occupied  fr 
the  emigrant  passengers,  or  passengers  other  than  cabin  pas 
sengers,  during  the  voyage;  and  such  measurement  shall  b 
made  in  the  manner  provided  by  law  for  admeasuring  vessel 
for  tonnage;  and  to  compare  the  number  of  such  passenger 
found  on  board  with  the  list  of  such  passengers  furnished  b; 
the  master  to  the  customs  officer;  and  the  said  inspector  o 
other  officer  shall  make  a  report  to  the  aforesaid  collector  o 
surveyor,  stating  the  port  of  departure,  the  time  of  sailing 
the  length  of  the  voyage,  the  ventilation,  the  number  of  sue! 
passengers  on  board  the  vessel  and  their  native  country,  res 
pectively;  the  cubic  quantity  of  each  compartment  or  space 
and  the  number  of  berths  and  passengers  in  each  space,  th 
kind  and  quality  of  the  food  furnished  to  such  passenger 
on  the  voyage;  the  number  of  deaths,  and  the  age  and  se: 
of  those  who  died  during  the  voyage,  and  of  what  disease 
and  in  case  there  was  any  unusual  sickness  or  mortality  durin: 
the  voyage,  to  report  whether  the  same  was  caused  by  an 
neglect  or  violation  of  the  provisions  of  this  act,  or  by  th 
want  of  proper  care  against  disease  by  the  masters  or  owner 
of  the  vessel;  and  the  said  reports  shall  be  forwarded  to  th 
Secretary  of  Commerce  at  such  times  and  in  such  manner  a 
he  shall  direct. 

While  the  duty  of  enforcing  this  act  is  expressly  impose 
upon  the  customs  officers,  yet  the  inspectors  of  the  Steamboai 
Inspection  Service  may  quite  properly  enforce  its  provisior 
through  their  general  authority  to  see  that  all  vessels  subjec 


ACTIVITIES  75 

to  their  inspection  have  suitable  accommodations  for  their  pas- 
sengers. 

Regulation  of  the  Transportation  of  Dangerous  Articles. 

One  of  the  most  important  activities  of  the  Steamboat-Inspec- 
tion Service  is  the  issuance  of  licenses  permitting  passenger 
vessels,  after  meeting  certain  requirements,  to  carry  dangerous 
and  easily  combustible  or  inflammable  articles — an  activity  first 
authorized  by  the  act  of  1852.  The  inspection  and  navigation 
laws  at  present  in  force  contain  a  large  number  of  provisions 
having  for  their  purpose  the  regulation  of  the  transportation 
of  such  articles  on  board  steam-vessels  carrying  passengers. 
Following  the  act  of  1852,  the  next  important  legislation 
concerning  the  transportation  of  explosives  was  an  act  ap- 
proved July  3,  1866  (14  Stat.  L.,  81),  which  is  in  force  at  the 
present  time.  By  the  terms  of  this  act,  it  is  made  unlawful 
to  transport,  carry  or  convey,  ship,  deliver  on  board,  or  cause 
to  be  delivered  on  board,  nitro-glycerine  upon  or  in  any  vessel 
or  vehicle  used  or  employed  in  transporting  passengers  by 
land  or  water  between  a  place  in  any  foreign  country,  and  a 
place  within  the  limits  of  any  State,  territory,  or  district  of 
the  United  States,  and  a  place  in  any  other  State,  territory,  or 
district  thereof.  Rules  to  be  observed  in  packing  and  mark- 
ing nitro-glycerine  for  shipment  on  vessels  not  carrying  pas- 
sengers are  also  prescribed  by  this  act.  The  delivery  of  ship- 
ments of  inflammable  materials  on  vessels,  other  than  those 
used  in  rivers  or  inland  navigation,  must  be  accompanied  by  a 
note  in  writing,  expressing  the  nature  and  character  of  such 
merchandise,  to  the  master,  mate,  officer,  or  person  in  charge 
of  the  loading  of  the  vessel.  Any  person  violating  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act  is  made  liable  to  a  penalty  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars. 

The  act  of  1871  also  contained  important  provisions  reg- 
ulating the  transportation  of  dangerous  articles  on  passenger 
vessels  which  are  now  in  force.  The  rules  prescribed  for  the 
transportation  of  gunpowder  are  as  follows: 


76  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Upon  the  application  of  any  master  or  owner  of  any  stean 
vessel  employed  in  the  carriage  of  passengers,  for  a  license  t< 
carry  gunpowder,  the  local  inspectors  shall  examine  such  vessel 
and  if  they  find  that  she  is  provided  with  a  chest  or  saf< 
composed  of  metal,  or  entirely  lined  and  sheathed  therewith 
or  if  the  vessel  has  one  or  more  compartments  thorough!} 
lined  and  sheathed  with  metal,  at  a  secure  distance  from  am 
fire,  they  may  grant  a  certificate  to  that  effect,  authorizing 
such  vessel  to  carry  as  freight  within  such  chest,  safes,  o 
compartments  the  articles  of  gunpowder,  which  certificate  shal 
be  kept  conspicuously  posted  on  board  such  vessel. 

The  local  inspectors  are  required  to  keep  a  record  of  sucl 
certificates  or  permits.  Whenever  any  passenger  steam-vesse 
receives  or  carries  any  gunpowder  on  board,  not  having  ; 
certificate  authorizing  the  same,  placed  and  kept  as  required 
or  shall  carry  any  gunpowder  at  a  place  or  in  a  manner  no 
authorized  by  such  certificate,  such  steam-vessel  is  liable  to  ; 
penalty  of  $100  for  each  offense.  Shipments  of  gunpowde: 
as  well  as  other  explosive  or  easily  combustible  articles,  mus 
be  securely  packed  and  plainly  marked,  and  failure  to  mee 
these  requirements  is  punishable  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  twc 
thousand  dollars,  or  imprisonment  not  exceeding  eighteei 
months,  or  both. 

Additional  provisions  were  included  in  the  act  of  1871  en- 
larging the  scope  of  this  activity  of  the  Steamboat-Inspectior 
Service,  such  as  the  following: 

No  loose  hay,  loose  cotton,  or  loose  hemp,  camphene,  nitro- 
glycerine, naphtha,  benzine,  benzole,  coal  oil,  crude  or  refinec 
petroleum,  or  other  like  explosive  burning  fluids,  or  like 
dangerous  articles,  shall  be  carried  as  freight  or  used  as  stores 
on  any  steamer  carrying  passengers;  nor  shall  baled  cotton 
or  hemp  be  carried  on  such  steamers  unless  the  bales  are  com- 
pactly pressed  and  thoroughly  covered  and  secured  in  such 
manner  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  regulations  established  by 
the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  with  the  approval  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  [now  the  Secretary  of  Commerce] ; 
nor  shall  gunpowder  be  carried  on  any  such  vessel  except 
under  special  license;  nor  shall  oil  of  vitriol,  nitric  or  other 


ACTIVITIES  77 

chemical  acids  be  carried  on  such  steamers  except  on  the  decks 
or  guards  thereof  or  in  such  other  safe  part  of  the  vessel 
as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  inspectors. 

The  manner  in  which  such  dangerous  or  easily  combustible 
materials  should  be  packed  for  shipment  was  prescribed  and 
failure  to  pack  articles  in  the  mode  thus  prescribed  or  delivery 
of  thereof  to  any  steam-vessel,  unless  so  packed  and  marked, 
was  made  punishable  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  two  thousand 
dollars,  or  imprisonment  not  exceeding  eighteen  months,  or 
both,  and  the  said  articles  were  made  subject  to  seizure  and 
forefeiture.  Regulations  were  also  imposed  in  the  act  of  1871, 
as  amended  by  the  act  of  February  27,  1877  (19  Stat.  L., 
252),  concerning  the  carriage  of  refined  petroleum,  oil  or 
spirits  of  turpentine,  and  friction  matches,  on  passenger 
steamers. 

The  act  of  1871  gave  authority  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  (later  transferred  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce) 
to  grant  permission  to  the  owner  of  any  steam-vessel,  "to 
use  any  invention  or  process  for  the  utilization  of  petroleum 
or  other  mineral  oils  or  substances  in  the  production  of  motive 
power,"  and  the  Secretary  was  empowered  to  make  and  en- 
force regulations  concerning  the  application  and  use  thereof  for 
such  purpose.  No  such  permit  was  to  be  granted,  however, 
except  upon  the  certificate  of  the  supervising  inspector  for  the 
district  where  such  vessel  was  registered,  and  other  satisfac- 
tory proof  that  the  use  of  the  same  was  safe  and  efficient. 
Upon  such  proof,  and  the  approval  of  such  certificate  by  the 
said  Secretary,  a  special  license  for  the  use  of  such  process 
or  invention  should  issue  under  the  seal  of  the  Treasury  De- 
partment (now  under  the  seal  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce). The  above  provision  was  modified  by  act  of  October 
18,  1888  (25  Stat.  L.,  564),  which  authorized  the  Secretary 
to  permit  the  use  of  petroleum  on  steamers  not  carrying  pas- 
sengers, without  the  certificate  of  the  supervising  inspector, 
subject  to  such  conditions  and  safeguards  as  the  Secretary  in 
his  judgment  should  provide.  Violation  of  such  conditions 


78  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

imposed  by  the  Secretary  was  made  punishable  by  a  fine 
of  five  hundred  dollars.  Still  another  modification  was  mad* 
in  the  regulations  by  the  act  of  July  17,  1914  (38  Stat.  L. 
511),  which  provided  for  the  transportation  of  excess  crude 
petroleum,  of  a  flashpoint  not  less  than  150  degrees  Fahrenheit 
in  the  fuel  tanks  of  steamers  and  its  discharge  at  termina 
ports  when  no  passengers  were  on  board. 

Modifications  in  the  regulations  dealing  with  the  transporta 
tion  of  crude  petroleum  and  the  products  thereof  were  foum 
to  be  necessary  because  of  the  ever  increasing  use  of  gasolin< 
motors  and  engines.  By  the  act  of  February  20,  1901  (3 
Stat.  L.,  799),  the  transportation  by  steam-vessels  of  gasolin« 
or  any  of  the  products  of  petroleum,  when  carried  by  moto 
vehicles  (automobiles)  using  the  same  as  a  source  of  motiv 
power,  was  permitted  under  certain  restrictions.  Furthe 
modifications  have  been  made  by  the  acts  of  May  28,  1906  (3, 
Stat.  L.,  204),  January  24,  1913  (37  Stat.  L.,  650),  an< 
October  22,  1914  (38  Stat.  L.,  765),  to  permit  the  transporta 
tion,  under  rules  prescribed  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspec 
tors,  of  gasoline  and  other  products  of  petroleum  on  steam 
vessels  for  use  as  a  source  of  motive  power  for  the  motor 
boats,  launches,  and  motor-driven  life-boats  of  such  vessels 
or  for  the  operation  of  engines  to  supply  an  auxiliary  lightin; 
and  wireless  system  independent  of  the  vessel's  main  powe 
plant.  The  most  recent  legislation  on  this  subject  is  the  ac 
approved  March  29,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  499),  which  provide 
that  kerosene  and  lubricating  oils  made  from  refined  product 
or  petroleum  which  will  stand  a  fire  test  of  not  less  than  thre 
hundred  degrees  Fahrenheit  may  be  used  as  stores  on  boar 
steamers  carrying  passengers,  under  such  regulations  as  sha 
be  prescribed  by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  with  th 
approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 

In  a  very  limited  way  do  the  foregoing  provisions  apply  t 
the  transportation  of  dangerous  articles  by  freight  vessel: 
An  act  approved  May  30,  1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  554)  made  : 
unlawful  to  transport,  carry,  or  convey  liquid  nitro-glycerin« 


ACTIVITIES  79 

fulminate  in  bulk  in  a  dry  condition,  or  other  like  explosive 
on  any  vessel  engaged  in  interstate  or  foreign  commerce,  and 
also  provided  that  the  contents  of  packages  containing  explo- 
sives or  other  dangerous  articles  when  presented  to  such  vessels 
for  shipment  must  be  plainly  marked  on  the  outside  thereof. 
Recommendations  have  been  made  looking  toward  an  exten- 
sion of  the  control  and  jurisdiction  of  the  Steamboat-Inspec- 
tion Service  over  the  transportation  of  dangerous  articles  on 
steamers  that  do  not  carry  passengers,  of  which  the  following, 
contained  in  the  annual  report  of  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General  for  1914,  is  typical: 

While  from  the  commercial  standpoint  it  may  be  said  that 
there  are  no  passengers  on  these  freight  vessels  it  is  neverthe- 
less a  fact  that  the  Government  owes  a  duty  of  protection  to 
the  crews  on  these  vessels.  It  is  also  none  the  less  a  fact 
that  by  the  carrying  of  dangerous  articles  in  a  dangerous 
manner  on  steamers  that  are  not  carrying  passengers,  the 
lives  of  those  on  passenger-carrying  steamers  may  be  jeopar- 
dized. The  authority  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service 
should,  therefore,  be  so  extended  as  to  give  jurisdiction  over 
the  transportation  of  dangerous  articles  on  non-passenger 
steamers. 

This  and  subsequent  recommendations  however,  have  failed 
to  elicit  the  desired  action  on  the  part  of  Congress.  This 
service  is  called  upon  to  discharge  duties  falling  in  all  three 
of  the  great  branches  or  divisions  of  government.  In  the 
exercise  of  its  large  powers  to  draft  rules  and  regulations 
having  the  force  of  law,  it  is  acting  in  a  legislative,  or  quasi- 
legislative,  capacity.  In  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  to  inquire 
into  the  conduct  of  pilots  and  officers  of  vessels  and  to  impose 
penalties  in  the  way  of  the  suspension  or  revocation  of  li- 
censes, it  is  acting  in  much  the  same  way  as  a  judicial  body. 
In  the  performance  of  its  duties  of  inspecting  vessels  and  boiler 
plates  it  is  acting  as  an  administrative  body.  The  effect  which 
this  combination  of  governmental  powers,  has  had  upon  the 
organization  of  the  service  will  be  noted  in  the  following 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  III 
ORGANIZATION 

The  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  is  organized  in  three 
main  divisions:  (i)  General  administration,  (2)  Boiler  plate 
inspection,  (3)  Inspection  service. 

General  Administration.  The  central  office  of  the  Steam- 
boat-Inspection Service  was  not  organized  until  the  act  of 
1871,  which  created  the  office  of  Supervising  Inspector-Gen- 
eral. The  force  employed  in  the  work  of  general  administra- 
tion is  relatively  small,  owing  partly  to  the  fact  that  all  of 
its  work  in  connection  with  appointments,  accounting  and  dis- 
bursing, printing  and  distribution  of  publications,  purchase  of 
supplies,  and  provision  and  care  of  quarters  is  taken  care  of  by 
divisions  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  having  in  charge 
these  matters  for  all  the  bureaus  of  the  department,  and  partly 
to  the  fact  that  supervision  over  operations  in  the  field  is 
to  a  large  extent  exercised  by  the  supervising  inspectors,  who 
constitute  a  part  of  the  field  inspection  service. 

The  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  at  the  head  of  this 
division,  and  of  the  service  as  a  whole.  His  powers  and 
duties,  as  authorized  by  law,  are  as  follows : 

There  shall  be  a  supervising  inspector-general,  who  shall  be 
appointed  from  time  to  time  by  the  President,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  who  shall  be  selected 
with  reference  to  his  fitness  and  ability  to  systematize  and 
carry  into  effect  all  the  provisions  of  law  relating  to  the 
steamboat-inspection  service,  and  who  shall  be  entitled  to  a 
salary  of  five  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  his  actual  necessary 
traveling  expenses  while  traveling  on  official  business  assigned 
to  him  by  competent  authority,  together  with  his  actual  and 

80 


ORGANIZATION  81 

reasonable  expenses  for  transportation  of  instruments,  which 
shall  be  certified  and  sworn  to  under  such  instructions  as 
shall  be  given  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 

The  supervising  inspector-general  shall,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  superintend  the  administration 
of  the  steamboat-inspection  laws,  preside  at  the  meetings  of 
the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  receive  all  reports  of 
inspectors,  receive  and  examine  all  accounts  of  inspectors,  re- 
port fully  at  stated  periods  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce 
upon  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  official  duties,  and  produce 
a  correct  and  uniform  administration  of  the  inspection  laws, 
rules  and  regulations.1 

In  addition  to  his  general  powers  and  duties  as  thus  pre- 
scribed, the  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  authorized  to 
hear  appeals  from  the  decisions  of  the  supervising  inspectors, 
and  his  judgment,  when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Com-'' 
merce,  is  final.  The  regulations  in  the  "Seamen's  Act"  of 
1915  concerning  life-saving  appliances  authorize  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  to  designate  an  officer  before  whom 
tests  may  be  made  as  to  the  time  necessary  for  efficiently 
launching  lifeboats.  He  is  also  authorized  by  an  act  approved 
May  28,  1908  (35  Stat.  L.,  424),  to  convene  with  the  Com- 
missioner of  Lighthouses  and  the  Commissioner  of  Naviga- 
tion, acting  as  a  board,  at  such  times  as  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce  shall  prescribe,  "to  prepare  regulations  limiting 
the  length  of  hawsers  between  towing  vessels  and  seagoing 
barges  in  tow  and  the  length  of  such  tows  within  any  of  the 
inland  waters  of  the  United  States.  .  .  ." 

In  short,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  responsible 
for  the  general  effectiveness,  usefulness,  and  capacity  of  the 
service,  and  for  the  intelligent  direction  and  management  of 
its  affairs. 

By  an  act  approved  July  2,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  739),  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce  was  given  authority  to  appoint  a 

1Act  of  February  28,  1871  (16  Stat.  L.,  440),  as  amended  by  act 
of  April  9,  1906  (34  Stat.  L.,  106),  by  act  of  October  22,  1913  (38 
Stat.  L.,  208),  and  by  annual  appropriation  acts. 


82  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Deputy  Supervising  Inspector-General  "who  shall  be  the  chie 
clerk  of  the  bureau  and  in  the  absence  of  the  Supervising  In 
spector-General  have  power  to  act  in  his  stead,  and  who  shal 
be  entitled  to  a  salary  of  $3000  per  year.  Prior  to  the  pas 
sage  of  this  act,  the  appropriations  for  the  central  office  o 
the  service,  beginning  with  the  act  of  July  7,  1884  (23  Stat 
L.,  159),  had  provided  for  a  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  th 
Supervising  Inspector-General,  who  was  given  charge  of  th 
clerical  work  of  the  central  office,  and  general  supervision  o 
the  clerical  work  in  the  service  at  large.  In  the  absence  o 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  he  became  the  acting  Super 
vising  Inspector-General  in  charge  of  the  admini strati v 
direction  of  the  service.  Aside  from  the  direction  of  the  cleri 
cal  work,  he  was  also  assigned  correspondence  of  the  centra 
office,  and  legal  work  incident  to  the  administration  of  th 
steamboat  inspection  laws.  The  Deputy  Supervising  In 
spector-General,  as  chief  clerk  of  the  bureau,  continues  t« 
perform  these  duties. 

Clerical  and  messenger  service  for  the  central  office  is  prc 
vided  for  in  the  annual  appropriation  acts.  The  clerks  i 
the  central  office  are  engaged,  chiefly,  in  handling  the  dail 
correspondence  of  the  service,  in  mailing  publications  of  th 
service,  and  in  the  examination  and  filing  of  the  card  record 
forwarded  by  the  local  inspectors.  With  reference  to  th 
latter,  it  should  be  noted  that  a  card  index  system  was  in 
stalled  throughout  the  service  in  1910,  whereby  inspectors  ar 
frow  required,  when  filing  a  certificate  of  inspection  or  offi 
cer's  license,  to  forward  to  the  central  office  immediately, 
card  showing  in  detail  the  results  of  the  inspection  or  examina 
tion.  Thus  information  relative  to  the  inspection  of  vessel 
and  the  licensing  of  officers  is  readily  accessible.  In  the  sam 
year  the  mailing  system  of  the  service  was  entirely  reorgan 
ized.  It  had  been  customary  to  mail  in  bulk  most  of  th 
literature  for  which  the  service  was  responsible  to  the  locc 
inspectors,  who  were  required  to  distribute  it  to  all  person 
concerned.  In  an  effort  to  distribute  these  important  doci: 


ORGANIZATION  83 

ments  more  expeditiously,  and  to  release  the  local  inspectors 
from  this  additional  burden,  the  responsibility  for  mailing 
such  publications  as  the  General  Rules  and  Regulations,  the 
Annual  Report,  the  List  of  Licensed  Officers,  and  the  Pilot's 
Rules,  was  taken  over  by  the  central  office.  Lists  containing 
the  names  of  all  persons  or  corporations  needing  such  docu- 
ments are  now  maintained,  and  the  literature  is  mailed  direct. 

Marine  Boiler  Plate  Inspection.  It  has  been  pointed  out, 
in  the  description  of  the  activities  of  the  Steamboat-Inspection 
Service  that  the  law  requires  that  no  plates  shall  be  used  in 
the  construction  of  marine  boilers  that  have  not  been  inspected 
and  certified  to  as  suitable  for  such  use  by  inspectors  or  assis- 
tant inspectors  of  the  service.  By  an  act  approved  January 
22,  1894  (28  Stat.  L.,  28),  provision  was  made  whereby  this 
work  of  inspection  and  certification  of  boiler  plates  might  be 
performed  at  the  mills  in  which  these  plates  are  manufactured. 
No  special  force  was  authorized  to  perform  this  work,  but  use 
could  be  made  of  assistant  inspectors  detailed  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  act  expressly  provides  as  follows : 

And  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  may,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  detail  assistant  inspectors 
from  any  local  inspection  district  where  assistant  inspectors 
are  employed,  to  inspect  iron  or  steel  boiler  plates  at  the  mills 
where  the  same  are  manufactured;  and  if  the  plates  are  found 
in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  supervising  inspectors, 
the  assistant  inspector  shall  stamp  the  same  with  the  initials 
of  his  name,  followed  by  the  letters  and  words  "U.  S.  Assis- 
tant Inspector" ;  and  material  so  stamped  shall  be  accepted  by 
the  local  inspectors  in  the  districts  where  such  material  is 
to  be  manufactured  into  marine  boilers  as  being  in  full  com- 
pliance with  the  requirements  of  this  section  regarding  the 
inspection  of  boiler  plates.  .  .  . 

In  puruance  of  this  authorization,  assistant  inspectors  are 
detailed  to  serve  as  inspectors  of  boiler  plates  at  cities  where 
such  plates  are  manufactured.  The  number  and  location  of 
these  assistant  inspectors  is  altered  from  time  to  time  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  service.  At  present,  assistant  inspectors  are 


84  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

detailed  to  perform  this  work  at  Coatesville  (Pa.),  Pittsburgh 
Chicago,  Cleveland,  Buffalo,  and  Philadelphia. 

Inspection  Service.  The  inspection  service  includes  a 
field  operations  with  the  exception  of  steel  plate  inspectio 
which,  on  account  of  its  special  character,  is  treated  as 
separate  division.  The  field  service  is  divided,  first,  int 
general  districts,  each  in  charge  of  a  supervising  inspectoi 
and  secondly,  into  local  districts,  each  in  charge  of  an  ir 
pector  of  hulls  and  an  inspector  of  boilers.  As  will  appea 
later,  the  supervising  inspectors  assemble  as  a  board  for  cei 
tain  purposes,  and  the  local  inspectors  of  hulls  and  boilers  fo 
each  local  district  as  a  local  board. 

Supervising  Inspectors.  For  the  immediate  supervision  o 
the  work  of  inspection  and  the  performance  of  other  dutie 
by  the  local  and  assistant  inspectors,  the  territory  of  the  Unite 
States  is  divided  into  eleven  districts  with  a  supervising  in 
spector  in  charge  of  each.  These  officers,  as  has  already  bee: 
pointed  out  in  describing  the  history  of  the  service,  were  firs 
provided  for  by  the  act  of  August  30,  1852.  The  method  o 
appointment,  compensation,  powers  and  duties  of  these  offi 
cers  are  set  forth  in  detail  in  the  act  of  February  28,  1971 
as  amended  by  the  acts  of  February  27,  1877  (19  Stat.  L 
251),  April  9,  1906  (34  Stat.  L.,  106),  May  22,  1912  (3; 
Stat.  L.,  116),  October  22,  1913  (38  Stat.  L.,  208),  and  Jul; 
2,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  739)  : 

There  shall  be  eleven  supervising  inspectors,  who  shall  b 
appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the  advise  and  consen 
of  the  Senate.  Each  of  them  shall  be  selected  for  his  knowl 
edge,  skill  and  practical  experience  in  the  uses  of  steam  fo 
navigation,  and  shall  be  a  competent  judge  of  the  characte 
and  qualities  of  steam-vessels,  and  of  all  parts  of  the  ma 
chinery  employed  in  steaming.  Each  supervising  inspecto 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  salary  of  three  thousand,  four  hundre< 
and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  and  his  actual  necessary  traveling 
expenses  while  traveling  on  official  business  assigned  him  b; 
competent  authority,  together  with  his  actual  and  reasonabi 


ORGANIZATION  85 

expenses  for  transportation  of  instruments,  which  shall  be 
certified  and  sworn  to  under  such  instructions  as  shall  be  given 
by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 

Each  supervising  inspector  shall  watch  over  all  parts  of  the 
territory  assigned  to  him,  shall  visit,  confer  with,  and  examine 
into  the  doings  of  the  local  boards  of  inspectors  within  his 
district,  and  shall  instruct  them  in  the  proper  performance  of 
their  duties;  and  shall,  whenever  he  thinks  it  expedient,  visit 
any  vessels  licensed,  and  examine  into  their  condition  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  provisions  of  this  Title 
[Regulation  of  Steam-vessels]  have  been  observed  and  com- 
plied with,  both  by  the  board  of  inspectors  and  the  masters 
and  owners.  All  masters,  engineers,  mates  and  pilots  of  such 
vessels  shall  answer  all  reasonable  inquiries,  and  shall  give 
all  the  information  in  their  power  in  regard  to  any  such 
vessel  so  visited,  and  her  machinery  for  steaming,  and  the 
manner  of  managing  both. 

Whenever  a  supervising  inspector  ascertains  to  his  satis- 
faction that  any  master,  mate,  engineer,  pilot,  or  owner  of 
any  steam-vessel  fails  to  perform  his  duties  according  to  the 
provisions  of  this  Title,  he  shall  report  the  facts  in  writing  to 
the  board  of  local  inspectors  in  the  district  where  the  vessel 
was  inspected  or  belongs;  and  if  need  be,  he  shall  cause  the 
negligent  or  offending  party  to  be  prosecuted;  and  if  the 
supervising  inspector  has  good  reason  to  believe  there  has  been, 
through  negligence  or  any  other  cause,  a  failure  of  the  board 
which  inspected  the  vessel  to  do  its  duty,  he  shall  report  the 
facts  in  writing  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce;  who  shall 
cause  immediate,  investigation  into  the  truth  of  the  complaint, 
and,  if  he  deems  the  cause  sufficient,  shall  remove  any  officer 
found  delinquent. 

The  supervising  inspectors  shall  see  that  the  several  boards 
of  local  inspectors  within  their  respective  districts  execute 
their  duties  faithfully,  promptly,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  uni- 
formly in  all  places,  by  following  out  the  provisions  of  this 
Title  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  thereof;  and 
they  shall,  as  far  as  practicable,  harmonize  differences  of 
opinion  existing  in  different  local  boards. 

The  supervising  inspector  shall  visit  any  collection  district 
in  which  there  is  at  any  time  no  board  of  inspectors,  and  within 
which  steam-vessels  are  owned  or  employed.  Each  supervis- 
ing inspector  shall  have  full  power  in  any  such  district,  or  in 
any  district  where,  from  distance  or  other  cause,  it  is  incon- 


86  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

venient  to  resort  to  the  local  board,  to  inspect  any  steam 
vessel  and  the  boilers  of  such  steamer,  and  to  grant  certificate; 
of  approval,  and  to  do  and  perform  all  the  duties  imposec 
upon  local  boards. 

Each  supervising  inspector  shall  report,  in  writing,  at  th 
end  of  each  fiscal  year  to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General 
the  general  business  transacted  in  his  district  during  the  year 
embracing  all  violations  of  the  laws  regulating  vessels,  am 
the  action  taken  in  relation  to  the  same;  all  investigation 
and  decisions  by  local  inspectors;  and  all  cases  of  appeal  an( 
the  result  thereof.  ,  .  . 

Under  the  act  of  June  10,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  602),  super 
vising  inspectors  are  authorized  to  hear  appeals  from  the  de 
cisions  of  local  inspectors  within  their  respective  districts,  an< 
also  to  decide  cases  in  which  there  is  disagreement  betweei 
the  members  of  the  local  boards.  In  all  cases  an  appeal  lie 
to  the  Supervising  Inspector-General. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  foregoing  that  the  duties  o 
the  supervising  inspectors  are,  to  a  large  extent,  those  of  a] 
administrative  or  supervisory  character,  although  where  oc 
casion  requires  they  are  authorized  to  perform  the  actua 
work  of  the  inspection  of  vessels.  They  serve  to  decentral 
ize  supervision  and  control  over  the  work  of  the  local  in 
spectors,  and  largely  obviate  the  necessity  for  a  general  in 
spection  service  or  other  means  for  exercising  central  super 
vision  over  the  work  of  the  field  service. 

Criticism  has  been  directed,  from  time  to  time,  against  th 
method  of  appointment  of  supervising  inspectors.  It  has  bee 
argued  that  these  officers  should  be  kept  free  from  politics 
influence  by  placing  them  under  the  classified  civil  service 
Such  action  was  urgently  recommended  by  the  Supervisin 
Inspector-General  in  his  annual  report  for  1919,  where  h 
pointed  out  that,  quite  generally,  the  supervising  inspector 
are  men  who  have  been  promoted  from  the  position  of  locc 
inspector,  which  office  is  under  the  civil  service  rules,  and  cor 
sequently  should  be  given  the  same  protection  which  the 
had  before  their  promotion. 


ORGANIZATION  87 

The  following  is  the  division,  made  by  the  board  of  super- 
vising inspectors,  of  territory  embraced  in  the  eleven  super- 
vising-inspection districts : 

Ftirst  District  embraces  all  the  waters  of  the  United  States 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  south  of  a  line  drawn  east 
from  Cape  Disappointment  to  the  intersection  of  the  forty- 
seventh  parallel  of  north  latitude  and  longitude  112°  30'  west, 
and  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Second  District  embraces  all  the  waters  of  Long  Island 
Sound  west  of  the  Connecticut  River  and  the  tributaries 
thereto,  that  portion  of  Long  Island  lying  west  of  Riverhead, 
and  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  rivers,  and  tributaries 
from  Long  Island  to  Cape  Charles. 

Third  District  embraces  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  coast, 
rivers  and  tributaries  between  Cape  Charles  and  Cape  Sable. 

Fourth  District  embraces  the  Mississippi  River  and  tribu- 
taries from  above  Greenfield  Mo.,  to  the  head  of  navigation 
on  the  Missouri  River,  and  to  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Illinois  River. 

Fifth  District  embraces  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  coast, 
rivers  and  tributaries  from  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  United 
States  to  and  including  the  Connecticut  River,  and  that  portion 
of  Long  Island  east  of  and  including  Riverhead. 

Sixth  District  embraces  the  Ohio  River  and  tributaries  up 
to  and  including  Carrollton,  Ky.,  and  the  Mississippi  River  and 
tributaries  from  Greenville,  Miss.,  up  to  and  including  Green- 
field, Mo. 

Seventh  District  embraces  the  Ohio  River  and  tributaries 
above  Carrollton,  Ky. 

Eighth  District  embraces  all  the  waters  of  the  Great  Lakes 
north  and  west  of  Lake  Erie  with  their  tributaries. 

Ninth  District  embraces  all  the  waters  of  the  River  St. 
Lawrence,  Lakes  Erie,  Ontario,  and  Champlain,  and  their 
tributaries. 

Tenth  District  embraces  the  coast  and  tributary  waters  of 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  between  Cape  Sable  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  the  Mississippi  River  and  tributaries  to 
Greenfield,  Miss.,  and  Porto  Rico. 

Eleventh  District  embraces  all  the  waters  in  the  States  of 
Washington,  Idaho,  and  Montana  north  of  a  line  drawn  east 
from  Cape  Disappointment  to  the  intersection  of  the  forty- 


88  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

seventh  parallel  of  north  latitude  and  longitude  112°  30'  west, 
and  also  all  United  States  waters  in  the  territory  of  Alaska. 

Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors.  Provision  was  made  in 
the  act  of  1871  for  a  joint  meeting  of  the  supervising  in- 
spectors at  least  once  in  every  year,  to  act  as  an  administra- 
tive board  in  the  formulation  of  general  rules  and  regulations 
to  govern  the  officers  of  the  service  in  the  performance  of 
their  duties  and  to  prescribe  in  detail  the  conditions  that  must 
be  observed  by  vessels  and  their  owners  and  operators  sub- 
ject to  the  steamboat  inspection  laws.  The  powers  and  duties 
of  this  board  are  too  numerous  to  be  noted  here,  and  they  have 
already  received  sufficient  detailed  attention  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  activities  of  the  service.  The  provisions  of  law 
authorizing  the  organization  of  the  board  and  outlining  in 
general  its  powers  and  duties  are  as  follows : 

The  supervising  inspectors  and  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General  shall  assemble  as  a  board  once  in  each  year  at  the 
city  of  Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  on  the  third  Wednes- 
day in  January,  and  at  such  other  times  as  the  Scretary  of 
Commerce  shall  prescribe,  for  joint  consultation,  and  shall 
assign  to  each  of  the  supervising  inspectors  the  limits  of  ter- 
ritory in  which  he  shall  perform  his  duties.  The  board  shall 
establish  all  necessary  regulations  to  carry  out  in  the  most 
effective  manner  the  provisions  of  this  title  and  also  regula- 
tions, prohibiting  useless  and  unnecessary  whistling,  and  such 
regulations,  when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce, 
shall  have  the  force  of  law.  .  .  . 

The  board  shall  examine  into  all  the  acts  of  each  super- 
vising inspector  and  local  board,  and  all  complaints  made 
against  same,  in  relation  to  the  performance  of  their  duties 
under  the  law,  and  the  judgment  of  the  board  in  each  case 
shall  be  entered  upon  their  journal;  and  the  board  shall,  as 
far  as  possible,  correct  mistakes  where  they  exist. 

By  an  act  approved  March  3,  1905  (33  Stat.  L.,  1902), 
the  work  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  was  sup- 
plemented by  the  following  provision: 


ORGANIZATION  89 

That  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  may  at  any  time  call  in 
session,  after  reasonable  public  notice,  a  meeting  of  an  exec- 
utive committee,  to  be  composed  of  the  Supervising  Inspector- 
General  and  any  two  supervising  inspectors,  which  committee, 
with  the  approval  of  the  said  Secretary,  shall  have  power  to 
alter,  amend,  add  to,  or  repeal  any  of  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions made,  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce, 
by  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  either  by  virtue  of  this 
section  or  under  any  power  granted  by  this  title,  or  any  amend- 
ments thereof,  such  alteration,  amendment,  addition  or  repeal, 
when  approved  by  the  said  Secretary,  to  have  the  force  of 
law,  and  to  continue  in  effect  until  thirty  days  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  next  meeting  of  the  board  of  supervising 
inspectors.  .  .  . 

Discussing  the  work  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors 
and  the  executive  committee  in  his  annual  report  for  1912, 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  said: 

The  usefulness  of  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors  be- 
comes more  apparent  each  year.  The  supervising  inspector 
not  only  works  for  uniform  administration  of  law,  but  by 
reason  of  the  existence  of  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors, 
prompt  and  effective  action  can  be  obtained  to  relieve  condi- 
tions that  are  oppressive  to  licensed  officers  and  to ..th^  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  merchant  marine.  The  provision 'of  law 
that  permits  the  calling  of  an  excutive  committee  has  proved 
most  beneficial  and  valuable,  for  by  this  instrument  immediate 
results  can  be  obtained  without  waiting  for  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors. 

Inspectors  of  Hulls  and  Boilers.  The  actual  work  of  in- 
specting hulls,  equipment  and  boilers  of  steam-vessels  is  per- 
formed by  officers  known  as  inspectors  of  hulls  and  inspec- 
tors of  boilers.  The  law  provides  that  there  shall  be  one 
inspector  of  hulls  and  one  inspector  of  boilers  in  each  of  the 
collection  (customs)  districts  and  ports  enumerated  below, 
and  shall  receive  the  compensation  indicated  (Act  of  July  2, 
1918;  40  Stat.  L.,  740)  : 


90  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Collection  Districts  Salary 

Philadelphia,    Pa.  $2,700 

San  Francisco,  Cal.  2,700 

New   London,    Conn.  2,100 

Baltimore,   Md.  2,700 

Detroit,   Mich.  2,350 

Chicago,  111.  2,500 

Bangor,  Maine  2,100 

New  Haven,   Conn.  2,100 

Michigan,  Mich.  2,500 

Milwaukee,  Wis.  2,500 

Puget  Sound,  Wash.  2,700 

Savannah,  Georgia.  2,100 

Apalachicola,  Fla.  2,100 

Oswego,  New  York.  2,350 

Charleston,  S.  C.  2,100 

Duluth,  Minn.  2,500 

Superior,  Mich.  2,100 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.  2,100 

Galveston,  Tex.  2,100 

Mobile,  Ala.  2,350 

Providence,  R.  I.  2,500 

Willamette,  Ore.  2,350 

Ports 

New  York,  N.  Y.  2,950 

Jacksonville,  Fla.  2,100 

Tampa,  Fla.  2,100 

Portland,  Me.  2,500 

Boston,  Mass.  2,700 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.  2,700 

Cleveland,  Ohio  2,500 

Toledo,  Ohio.  2,100 

Norfolk,  Va.  2,500 

Evansville,  Ind.  2,100 

Dubuque,  la.  2,100 

Louisville,  Ky.  2,100 

Albany,  N.  Y.  2,500 

Cincinnati,  Ohio  2,100 

Memphis,  Tenn.  2,100 

Nashville,  Tenn.  2,100 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  2,350 

Port  Huron,  Mich.  2,350 

New  Orleans,  La.  2,700 

Los  Angeles,   Cal.  2,500 

Juneau,  Alaska.  2,500 

St.  Michael,  Alaska.  2,500 

Point  Pleasant,  West  Va.  2,100 

Burlington,  Vermont.  2,100 

Honolulu,   Hawaii.  2,500 

San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  2'5°° 


ORGANIZATION  91 

The  law  makes  careful  provision  that  the  persons  appointed 
to  these  positions  shall  be  technically  and  morally  qualified 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  office.  It  thus  provides : 

The  inspector  of  hulls  shall  be  a  person  of  good  character 
and  suitable  qualifications  and  attainments  to  perform  the 
services  required  of  an  inspector  of  hulls,  who  from  his  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  shipbuilding  and  navigation  and  the  uses 
of  steam  in  navigation  is  fully  competent  to  make  a  reliable 
estimate  of  the  strength,  seaworthiness,  and  other  qualities  of 
the  hulls  of  vessels  and  their  equipment  deemed  essential  to 
safety  of  life  in  their  navigation;  and  the  inspector  of  boilerf 
shall  be  a  person  of  good  character  and  suitable  qualifications 
and  attainments  to  perform  the  services  required  of  an  inspec- 
tor of  boilers,  who  from  his  knowledge  and  experience  of 
the  duties  of  an  engineer  employed  in  navigating  vessels  by 
steam,  and  also  of  the  construction  and  use  of  boilers,  and 
machinery  and  appurtenances  therewith  connected,  is  able  to 
form  a  reliable  opinion  of  the  strength,  form,  workmanship, 
and  suitableness  of  boilers  and  machinery  to  be  employed, 
without  hazard  to  life  from  imperfection  in  the  material,  work- 
manship, or  arrangement  of  any  part  of  such  apparatus  for 
steaming.  .  .  . 

No  person  interested,  either  directly  or  indirectly  in  any 
patented  article  required  to  be  used  on  any  steamer  by  this 
Title  [Regulation  of  Steam- vessels],  or  who  is  a  member  of 
any  association  of  owners,  masters,  engineers,  or  pilots  of 
steamboats,  or  who  is,  directly  or  indirectly,  pecuniarily  in- 
terested in  any  steam-vessel,  or  who  has  not  the  qualifications 
and  acquirements  prescribed  by  this  Title,  or  who  is  intemperate 
in  his  habits,  shall  be  eligible  to  hold  the  office  of  either  super- 
vising, local,  or  assistant  inspector,  or  to  discharge  the  duties 
thereof;  and  if  any  such  person  shall  attempt  to  exercise  the 
functions  of  the  office  of  either  inspector  he  shall  be  deemed 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  punishable  by  a  fine  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  shall  be  dismissed  from  office.2 

The  appointment  of  local  inspectors  has  been  subject  to 
the  civil  service  rules,  since  the  issue  of  an  Executive  order 

2  Act  of  February  28,  1871,  as  amended  by  the  act  of  February  27, 
1877  (19  Stat.  L.,  251),  and  Executive  order  issued  March  2,  1896. 


92  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

so  directing,  dated  March  2,  i896.3  Prior  to  that  date,  they 
were  appointed,  from  1838  to  1852,  by  the  United  States  dis- 
trict judges  and,  from  1852  to  1896,  by  a  commission  con- 
sisting of  the  collector  of  the  district  or  other  chief  officer 
of  customs,  the  supervising  inspector  in  charge  of  the  dis- 
trict, and  the  judge  of  the  United  States  district  court. 

Boards  of  Local  Inspectors.  In  addition  to  the  perform- 
ance of  their  duties  as  inspectors  of  hulls  and  boilers,  the 
law  provides  that  "the  inspector  of  hulls  and  the  inspector  of 
boilers  designated  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  shall,  from 
the  date  of  designation,  constitute  a  board  of  local  inspec- 
tors/' The  duties  imposed  by  law  upon  the  local  inspectors 
acting  as  a  board  relate  to:  (i)  the  licensing  of  officers  and 
pilots;  (2)  the  conduct  of  inquiries  in  respect  to  the  mis- 
conduct or  incompetency  of  such  officers,  and  the  revocation 
of  their  licenses  if  the  facts  justify  such  action;  (3)  the 
examination  and  certification  of  able  seamen  and  lifeboat  men; 
and  (4)  the  issuance  of  certificates  of  inspection  to  the  owners 
or  masters  of  vessels  and  the  revocation  of  same  in  case  of 
violation  of  the  inspection  laws.  The  manner  in  which  these 
duties  are  performed  has  been  fully  set  forth  in  describing  the 
activities  of  the  service. 

Assistant  Inspectors  and  Clerks.  In  addition  to  the  inspec- 
tor of  hulls  and  the  inspector  of  boilers,  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce  may  appoint,  in  districts  or  ports  where  the  volume 
of  work  requires  them,  assistant  inspectors  and  a  clerk  to 

3  There  seems  to  have  been  some  doubt  as  to  whether  the  section 
of  the  act  of  1852  prescribing  the  method  of  filling  vacancies  in  the 
Steamboat-Inspection  Service  was  repealed  by  the  passage  of  the 
Civil  Service  Act,  approved  January  16,  1883  (22  Stat.  L.,  403). 
An  opinion  rendered  by  the  United  States  Attorney  General  in  1896 
(21  Op.  Atty.-Gen.,  393)  held  that  the  appointing  board  provided 
for  in  the  act  of  1852  could  not  act  as  a  board  of  examiners  unless 
the  members  of  such  board  were  selected  and  appointed  as  such  board 
of  examiners  under  the  civil  service  rule  which  authorizes  the  Civil 
Service  Commissioners  to  "appoint  from  persons  in  the  government 
service  such  boards  of  examiners  as  it  may  deem  necessary."  Hence 
the  necessity  for  the  issue  of  an  executive  order  in  1896  expressly 
placing  such  offices  under  the  classified  civil  service. 


ORGANIZATION  93 

the   board   of    local    inspectors   to   receive   compensation    as 
follows:  (Act  of  July  2,  1918;  40  Stat.  L.,  739) 

Assistant  Inspector 

Port  of  New  York,  N.  Y.  $2,500 

Port  of  New  Orleans,  La.  2,350 

District  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  2,350 

District   of   Baltimore,    Md.  2,350 

Port  of  Boston,  Mass.  2,350 

Port  of  Providence,  R.  I.  2,350 

District  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.  2,350 

All  other  districts  and  ports.  2,100 

Clerk 
All  districts  and  ports  (not  exceeding)    1,500 

The  assistant  inspectors  thus  provided  for  are  required  to 
perform  such  duties  of  actual  inspection  as  may  be  assigned 
to  them  under  the  direction,  supervision,  and  control  of  the 
local  inspectors.  An  important  feature  in  respect  to  the  duties 
of  the  assistant  inspectors  is  that  they  may  be  detailed  from 
one  port  to  another  as  the  needs  of  the  service  require.  The 
provision  of  law  in  respect  to  this  matter  is  as  follows: 

The  Secretary  of  Commerce  may  from  time  to  time  detail 
said  assistant  inspectors  of  one  port  or  district  for  service  in 
any  other  port  or  district  as  the  needs  of  the  Steamboat-In- 
spection Service  may,  in  his  discretion,  require,  and  the 
actual  necessary  travelling  expenses  of  assistant  inspectors 
so  detailed,  while  travelling  on  official  business  assigned  them 
by  competent  authority  shall,  subject  to  such  limitations  as 
the  said  Secretary  may  in  his  discretion  prescribe,  be  paid  in 
the  same  manner  as  provided  in  this  section  for  inspectors. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  fact  that  the  law 
authorizes  the  detail  of  such  number  of  these  assistant  in- 
spectors, as  may  be  required,  for  service  at  mills  manufactur- 
ing plates  for  use  in  constructing  marine  boilers.  At  those 
ports  where  it  is  necessary  to  have  assistant  inspectors  the 
time  of  the  local  inspectors  is  usually  consumed  in  office  work, 
such  as  conducting  trials  and  investigations,  examining  appli- 
cants for  license,  and  the  like.  The  assistant  inspectors,  in 


94  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

such  ports  or  districts,  do  the  actual  work  of  inspection,  bui 
do  not  have  authority  to  perform  such  duties  as  those  of  the 
local  inspectors  in  signing  certificates  of  inspection,  conduct- 
ing examinations,  etc. 

Traveling  Inspectors,.  The  statement  was  made  earlier  ir 
this  chapter  that  the  administrative  and  supervisory  charactei 
of  the  duties  imposed  by  law  upon  the  eleven  supervising  in- 
spectors served  to  decentralize  the  work  of  the  service  anc 
to  make  unnecessary  any  agency  or  organization  to  exercis< 
general  supervision  over  the  work  of  the  service  in  the  field 
On  the  other  hand,  it  will  be  recalled  that  one  of  the  duties 
of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  is  to  obtain  uniforrr. 
administration  of  the  inspection  laws.  This  officer,  however 
was  not  given  any  effective  means  with  which  to  enforce 
such  uniform  administration  throughout  the  service  in  the 
field  until  the  appropriation  act  of  July  16,  1914  (38  Stat.  L. 
454),  which  provided  for  a  traveling  inspector  at  a  salary 
of  $2500  per  annum.4  The  duties  of  this  officer  were  nol 
defined  in  the  act,  but  following  his  appointment  in  Novem- 
ber, 1914,  he  was  engaged  in  inspecting  vessels  and  examin- 
ing licenses  of  officers  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  reporting 
deficiencies  found  to  the  central  office.  It  was  soon  recog- 
nized that  such  an  officer  could  be  of  great  service  in  check- 
ing up  on  the  work  of  the  local  inspectors  and  ordering  errors 
and  deficiencies  thus  discovered  to  be  rectified,  and  in  his 
annual  report  for  1915,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General 
characterized  the  efforts  of  the  travelling  inspector  as  con- 

4  The  establishment  of  this  office  was  the  direct  result  of  the  fol- 
lowing recommendation  made  by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General 
in  his  annual  report  for  1913: 

"The  supervising  inspectors  of  steam-vessels  do  considerable 
traveling  in  their  districts,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  uniform  ad- 
ministration of  law  therein,  but  the  office  of  the  Supervising  Inspec- 
tor-General should  have  two  traveling  inspectors,  who,  working  under 
the  direction  of  that  office,  could  do  excellent  work  in  making  rein- 
spections,  and  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  would  thereby  be 
in  closer  and  more  intelligent  touch  with  both  the  local  inspectors 
and  the  supervising  inspectors.  This  is  the  custom  in  other  depart- 
ments and  in  private  services,  and  is  fully  justified  by  the  results." 


ORGANIZATION  95 

stituting  "a  most  important  means  of  obtaining  uniform  ad- 
ministration and  improving  the  work  of  the  Service." 

The  number  of  these  traveling  inspectors  was  increased  to 
two  by  the  appropriation  act  of  May  10,  1916  (39  Stat.  L., 
66),  and  to  three  by  the  deficiency  appropriation  act  of 
November  4,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  1020).  The  office  of  trav- 
eling inspector  was  given  a  permanent  statutory  basis  by 
the  act  of  July  2,  1918  (40  Stat.  L.,  739),  which  provides  as 
follows : 

The  Secretary  of  Commerce  may  appoint  not  exceeding 
four  traveling  inspectors,  when  in  his  judgment  they  are 
necessary  for  the  improvement  of  the  service,  each  of  whom 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  salary  of  $3,000  a  year  and  his  actual 
necessary  traveling  expenses  while  traveling  on  official  busi- 
ness. 

Accordingly  the  number  of  traveling  inspectors  was  in- 
creased to  four  by  the  appropriation  act  of  May  i,  1919  (40 
Stat.  L.,  1213).  Describing  the  work  of  these  officers  and 
the  benefits  to  be  derived  therefrom,  the  Supervising  Inspec- 
tor-General in  his  annual  report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending 
June  30,  1919,  commented  as  follows: 

It  is  more  than  necessary  at  this  time  with  the  expansion 
of  the  American  merchant  marine  to  see  that  absolutely  uni- 
form results  shall  be  obtained,  and  there  is  no  arm  of  the 
service  that  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  may  use  with 
more  effectiveness  than  these  four  traveling  inspectors,  whose 
work  it  is  to  travel  among  the  different  districts,  to  board 
ships  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  to  call  at  the  offices 
of  the  local  inspectors  with  a  view  to  following  up  further  the 
complaints  made  to  the  central  office  and  which  have  been 
previously  followed  up  by  the  local  inspectors  and  by  the 
supervising  inspectors.  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  effi- 
ciency which  must  come  to  the  service  by  the  proper  use  of 
this  valuable  corps  of  traveling  inspectors,  and  you  may  be 
assured  that  they  are  being  used  in  the  most  effective  manner, 
to  the  end  that  the  high  standard  already  reached  by  the 


96  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Steamboat-Inspection   Service  may  not  only  be  maintain 
but  that  that  standard  may  be  raised  still  higher. 

Conclusion.     It  should  be  noted   that  the   organization 
this   service  presents   certain   features  which   deserve  spec 
consideration.     The  service  has,  in  effect,  a  dual  form  of 
ganization — the  officers  of  the  service,  from  the  Supervisi 
Inspector-General  to  the  supervising  inspectors  and  the  lo 
inspectors,    acting    in    two    capacities — as    individuals,    w 
specific  duties  of  an  administrative  character,  and  as  memb 
of  boards  with  quasi-legislative  and  judicial   functions, 
individuals  the  local  inspectors  perform  the  work  of  inspe 
ing  the  hulls,  boilers,  and  equipment  of  vessels ;  as  local  boai 
they  examine  and  license  pilots  and  officers   of  vessels, 
quire  into  alleged  acts  of  incompetence  and  misconduct 
the  part  of  such  officers  and  suspend  or  revoke  their  licet 
when  the  facts  warrant.     As  individuals  the  supervising  : 
spectors  exercise  supervision  and  direction  over  the  work 
the  local  inspectors,  and,  if  occasion  requires,  they  themseh 
discharge  the  duties  of  such  officers;  as  a  board  they  ex< 
cise  delegated  quasi-legislative  powers  through  the   formu 
tion  or  rules  and  regulations  having  the  force  of  law.     , 
an  individual,  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  exercises 
general  direction  over  the  administration  of  the  service,  a 
performs  a  measure  of  quasi- judicial  work  in  hearing  appe; 
from  decisions  of  local  and  supervising  inspectors ;  as  a  mei 
ber  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors  he  takes  part 
the  quasi-legislative  work  of  that  body. 

The  administrative  control  of  the  service  is  entirely  und 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General,  but  the  regulations  go 
erning  the  equipment  of  vessels  are  made  by  the  Board 
Supervising  Inspectors,  which  also  divides  the  country  in 
inspection  districts,  assigns  the  several  supervising  inspecto 
to  the  various  districts,  and  makes  the  administrative  rul 
for  the  government  of  the  field  force.  The  powers  and  fun 
tions  of  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors  cease,  howeve 


ORGANIZATION  97 

when  the  board  has  promulgated  the  rules.  The  interpreta- 
tion and  enforcement  of  the  regulations  and  the  disciplinary 
control  exercised  over  all  employees  are  entirely  under  the 
direction  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General.  In  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  work  of  the  Service  the  Supervising  In- 
spectors are  subordinate  in  all  cases  to  the  Supervising  In- 
spector-General. 

An  explanation  of  the  reason  for  the  adoption  of  this 
rather  unusual  scheme  of  organization  and  administration  is 
to  be  found  in  the  manner  in  which  this  service  was  built  up. 
Originally,  as  pointed  out  in  the  history  of  the  service,  pro- 
vision was  made  merely  for  local  inspectors  of  hulls  and  boil- 
ers in  the  field.  These  officers  were  appointed  by  the  United 
States  district  judges,  and  no  provision  was  made  for  any 
administrative  supervision  over  the  manner  in  which  they 
performed  their  duties.  The  need  for  such  supervision  in 
time  becoming  apparent,  Congress,  by  act  of  August  30,  1852, 
provided  for  the  division  of  the  country  into  nine  (since  in- 
creased to  eleven)  districts,  and  the  appointment  of  a  super- 
vising inspector  in  charge  of  each,  to  whom  was  assigned 
the  duty  of  supervising  and  directing  the  work  of  the  local 
inspectors  in  their  respective  districts.  This  act,  though 
systematizing  the  work  to  a  certain  extent,  still  failed  to  pro- 
vide for  a  real  centralized  service.  It  was  not  until  nearly 
twenty  years  later,  1871,  that  further  advance  in  this 
direction  was  secured  by  the  act  of  February  28,  of 
that  year,  which  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  with  headquarters  at  Washing- 
ton. 

In  making  provision  for  this  officer,  Congress,  however, 
failed  to  transfer  to  him  any  of  the  essential  powers  of  the 
supervising  inspectors.  He  was  given  no  inspection  force  to 
aid  in  producing  uniform  administration,  and  the  supervis- 
ing inspectors  remained  practically  independent  of  his  author- 
ity, being  appointed  directly  by  the  President,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  not  even  reporting 


98  STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

to  him,  but  rather  to  themselves,  sitting  as  a  boar 
During  recent  years,  however,  as  the  result  of  several  a 
of  Congress  and  of  administrative  regulations  promulga 
by  the  Supervising  Inspector-General  the.  administrative  c< 
trol  of  the  force  of  the  service  has  been  centralized  in 
Washington  office.  Routine  matters  are  disposed  of  by 
various  field  offices,  but  the  Washington  office  maintains 
close  check  on  the  work  of  the  district  and  local  offices,  tal 
such  disciplinary  action  as  may  be  necessary  in  cases  of  negl 
of  duty,  and  gives  instructions  regarding  the  action  that  sho 
be  taken  in  any  unusual  situation  that  may  arise.  While 
files  relating  to  individual  transactions  are  generally  kept 
the  district  and  local  offices  the  Washington  office  calls  . 
the  complete  record  whenever  these  papers  are  necessary  : 
a  review  of  the  action  of  local  officers.  It  is  true  that  neitl 
the  Supervising  Inspector-General  nor  the  Secretary  of  Co 
merce  has  summary  power  to  remove  or  suspend  the  Sup 
vising  Inspectors,  but  the  situation  in  this  respect  does  i 
differ  from  that  in  other  services — such  as  the  Postal  Servi 
the  Customs  Service,  the  Internal  Revenue  Service,  and  1 
Public  Land  Service — where  the  principal  field  officers  < 
appointed  by  the  President. 

Among  the  factors  that  have  resulted  in  greater  centrali; 
tion  in  administration  may  be  the  following:  An  inspecti 
force  has  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Supervising-Insp< 
tor-General,  by  the  creation  of  the  office  of  traveling  insp< 
tors;  supervising  inspectors  are  now  required  (act  approv 
May  22,  1912,  37  Stat.  L.,  116)  to  make  annual  reports 
the  end  of  each  fiscal  year  to  the  Supervising  Inspector-Ge 
eral,  although  the  board  is  still  authorized  to  examine  th< 

5  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Supervising  Inspector-Gener 
in  his  annual  reports  for  1881  and  again  in  1897  advocated  the  abc 
tion  of  the  board  of  supervising  inspectors,  a  reduction  in  the  nu: 
her  of  supervising  inspectors  from  ten  to  five,  and  the  establis 
ment  of  a  mixed  commission  composed  of  supervising,  local  a 
assistant  inspectors  to  meet  and  advise  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasui 
at  his  call,  as  to  the  needs  of  the  service. 


ORGANIZATION  99 

and  correct  mistakes  where  possible;  a  card  index  system  has 
been  installed  throughout  the  service,  thus  affording  the  cen- 
tral office  up-to-date  records  of  the  field  work  of  the  service; 
monthly  bulletins  showing  the  rulings  of  the  bureau  are  issued 
by  the  central  office  and  sent  to  all  inspectors,  customs  offi- 
cers, and  most  of  the  steamboat  companies  and  marine-boiler 
manufacturers  in  the  United  States;  and  the  Supervising  In- 
spector-General now  has  authority  to  entertain  appeals  from 
any  decision  made  by  the  local  or  supervising  inspectors,  and 
his  decision,  when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce, 
is  final.6 

The  Supervising  Inspector-General  and  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce  have  recommended  other  measures  in  their  recent 
reports  involving  direct  supervision  of  the  activities  of  the 
service  by  the  central  office,  such  as  the  centralization  of  ap- 
proval of  hull  and  boiler  construction,  and  the  keeping  of 
complete  duplicate  records  of  the  work  of  the  field  inspection 
service  in  the  office  of  the  Supervising  Inspector-General. 
The  carrying  out  of  such  measures,  is,  of  course,  dependent 
upon  favorable  action  by  Congress  authorizing  the  change  and 
making  appropriations  to  provide  for  the  necessary  additional 
employees. 

6  In  commenting  upon  the  effect  of  some  of  these  changes,  the 
Supervising  Inspector-General  made  the  following  statement  in  his 
annual  report  for  1911,  concerning  the  card  index  system  recently 
installed : 

"It  gives  me  particular  pleasure  to  speak  of  the  effectiveness  of 
the  card-index  system  of  licenses  issued  and  vessels  inspected  by 
which  system  local  inspectors  are  required  to  forward  to  the  central 
office  immediately  day  by  day  card  reports  of  licenses  issued  and 
vessels  inspected,  which  cards  bear  the  file  number  of  the  local 
office  sending  them,  so  that  this  office  is  able,  by  a  simple  request 
for  a  file,  indicating  same  by  a  number,  to  obtain  all  the  papers  in 
the  case.  There  have  been  instances  of  improper  inspection  that 
have  been  discovered  through  this  system,  and  if  the  system  dis- 
covers but  one  instance  for  improper  inspection  during  a  whole 
year  its  existence  would  be  justified,  for  by  maintaining  a  high 
standard  of  inspection  lives  are  saved  and  property  is  protected." 


APPENDIX  I 

OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION 
EXPLANATORY  NOTE 

The  Outlines  of  Organization  have  for  their  purpose  t< 
make  known  in  detail  the  organization  and  personnel  pos 
sessed  by  the  several  services  of  the  national  government  t< 
which  they  relate.  They  have  been  prepared  in  accordanc 
with  the  plan  followed  by  the  President's  Commission  01 
Economy  and  Efficiency  in  the  preparation  of  its  outline 
of  the  organization  of  the  United  States  Government,1  The; 
differ  from  those  outlines,  however,  in  that  whereas  the  Com 
mission's  report  showed  only  organization  units,  the  pre 
sentation  herein  has  been  carried  far  enough  to  show  the  per 
sonnel  embraced  in  each  organization  unit. 

These  outlines  are  of  value  not  merely  as  an  effective  mean: 
of  making  known  the  organization  of  the  several  services 
If  kept  revised  to  date  by  the  services,  they  constitute  ex 
ceedingly  important  tools  of  administration.  They  permi 
the  directing  personnel  to  see  at  a  glance  the  organization  anc 
personnel  at  their  disposition.  They  establish  definitely  th< 
line  of  administrative  authority  and  enable  each  employee  tc 
known  his  place  in  the  system.  They  furnish  the  essentia 
basis  for  making  plans  for  determining  costs  by  organizatior 
division  and  subdivision.  They  afford  the  data  for  a  con- 
sideration of  the  problem  of  classifying  and  standardizing 
personnel  and  compensation.  Collectively,  they  make  it  pos- 
sible to  determine  the  number  and  location  of  organizatior 
divisions  of  any  particular  kind,  as,  for  example,  laborator- 

1  House  Doc.  458,  62d.  Congress,  2nd  Session,  1912 — 2  vols. 

100 


OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION 

ies,  libraries,  blue-print  rooms,  or  any  other  kind  of  plant 
possessed  by  the  national  government,  to  what  services  they 
are  attached  and  where  they  are  located,  or  to  determine  what 
services  are  maintaining  stations  at  any  city  or  point  in  the 
United  States.  The  Institute  hopes  that  upon  the  comple- 
tion of  the  present  series,  it  will  be  able  to  prepare  a  complete 
classified  statement  of  the  technical  and  other  facilities  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Government.  The  present  monographs  will 
then  furnish  the  details  regarding  the  organization,  equip- 
ment, and  work  of  the  institutions  so  listed  and  classified. 


OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION 

STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 
DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE 

June  30,  1921  Annual 

Organisation  Units  Number  '    Salary 

Classes  of  Employees  Rate 

i.    General  Administration 

1.  Office  of  Supervising 

Inspector-General 

Supervising  Inspector-General  i  $5,oo( 
Deputy  Supervising  Inspector- 
General  i  3,oo( 
i.    Office  Force 

Private  Secretary  to  the  Super- 
vising Inspector-General  i 
Clerk  (class  4)  i 
Clerk  (class  3)  2  ,6o( 
Clerk  (class  2)  i                              ,4O( 
Clerk  (class  i)  2                             ,2O( 
Clerk  2  ,oo< 

2  90( 

Messenger  i  §4( 

2.  Boiler  Plate  Inspection2 
i.    Coatesville,  Pa. 

Assistant  Inspector  of  Boilers 

in  Charge  i a  2,501 

Clerk  i b  i,oo< 

1  Net,   or  without  the  temporary   "bonus"   or   additional   compensatioi 
of  60  per  cent  on  classes  below  $400,  of  $240  on  classes  of  $400  to  $25oc 
and  of   an  amount  necessary  to  make  the  total  compensation  $2740  p: 
classes  of  $2500  to  $2740.    This  is  subject  to  minor  exceptions  in  specia 
cases. 

2  Except  for  the  assistant   inspectors   detailed  to   Coatesville,    Pa.,    fo 
steel  plate  inspection,  the  inspectors  of  boiler  plates  are  assigned  to  tha 
duty  from  the  office  of  the  board  of  local  inspectors  where  such  inspectio 
is   required.    The  number  so  assigned  varies,  from  year  to  year,  at  th 
discretion    of    the    Supervising    Inspector-General    and   according   to    th 
needs  of  the  service. 

a  Detailed   from  the  office  of   the  Board  of  Local   Inspectors  at  NCA 
York. 

b  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  Balti 
more. 

102 


OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION  103 

2.  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Assistant  Inspector  of   Boilers  in 

Charge  i  o  2  50O 

3.  Chicago,  111. 

Assistant   Inspector   of   Boilers         i d  2,100 

4.  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Assistant  Inspector  of  Boilers  2  c  2 100 

5.  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Assistant  Inspector  of  Boilers  i f  2 100 

6.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Assistant  Inspector  of  Boilers  i «  2,350 

3.    Inspection  Service 

1.  Traveling  Inspectors4 

1.  Washington,  D.  C.  i  3,000 

2.  San  Francisco,  Calif.  i  3,ooo 

3.  Cleveland,  Ohio  i  3,000 

2.  First  Supervising  Inspection  District, 

San  Francisco,  Calif, 
i.    Supervising  Inspector  i  3,45o 

1.  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors      2  2,700 

Assistant  Inspector  16  2,350 

Clerk  i  1,500 

i  1,020 

4  1,000 

2.  Honolulu,  Hawii 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors      2  2,500 

Clerk  i  1,400 

3.  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector  2  2,100 

Clerk  I  1,400 

4.  Portland,  Ore. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors        2  2,350 

Assistant  Inspector  6  2,100 

Clerk  i  1,400 

i  1,000 

3.  Second  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

i.    Supervising  Inspector  I  3,45° 

i.    New  York,  N.  Y. 

c  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  New 
York. 

1  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  Chicago. 

'  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  Cleve- 
land. 

f  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  Buffalo. 

'  Detailed  from  the  Office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Inspectors  at  Phila- 
delphia. 

4  The  Traveling  Inspectors  maintain  headquarters  at  the  cities  men- 
tioned below,  but  they  are  continually  traveling  among  the  various  in- 
spection districts  as  directed  by  the  central  office  of  the  service. 


104         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors      2  2,950 

Assistant    Inspectors              40*  2,500 

Clerk                                          3  1,500 

2  1,400 

2  1,200 

4  1,000 

3  900 

2.  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector                  2  2,100 

Clerk                                            i  1,320 

i  i,ooc 

3.  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors      2  2,ioc 

Assistant    Inspector                 2  2,ioc 

Clerk                                            i  i,ooc 

4.  Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,700 

Assistant  Inspector                 i6b  2,350 

Clerk                                           i  1,500 

I  I,20C 

"                                                                  2  I,OOC 

i  900 
4.    Third  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  Norfolk,  Va. 

i.    Supervising  Inspector                        I  3>45C 

1.  Norfolk,  Va. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors      2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector                10  2,ioc 

Clerk                                          i  I,SQC 

i  1,400 

i  1,000 

2.  Baltimore,  Md. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,700 

Assistant  Inspector                 10  2,350 

Clerk                                          i  1,500 

i  1,400 

"  II  ,200 

I  a  1,000 

3.  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,100 

Clerk                                            i  1,000 
4.   Jacksonville,   Fla. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors   2  2,100 

Clerk                                           i  1,000 

5.  Savannah,  Ga. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors  2  2,100 

*  Including  Assistant  Inspectors  detailed  for  boiler  plate  inspection  at 
Coatesville,  Pa.,  and  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

b  Including  Assistant  Inspector  detailed  for  boiler  plate  inspection. 

a  Detailed  to  the  office  of  the  Assistant  Inspector  in  Charge  of  boiler 
plate  inspection  at  Coatesville,  Pa. 


OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION 

Assistant  Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

5.  Fourth  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

I.    Supervising  Inspector  I 

1.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

2.  Dubuque,   Iowa 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2 

Clerk  i 

6.  Fifth  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  Boston,  Mass. 

i.    Supervising  Inspector  i 

1.  Boston,  Mass. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2 

Assistant  Inspector  10 

Clerk  2> 

i 

2 

2.  Bangor,  Me. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

3.  New  London,  Conn. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2 

Assistant  Inspector  2 

Clerk  i 


4.  Portland,  Me. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors 
Assistant  Inspector 
Clerk 

5.  Providence,  R.  I. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors 
Assistant    Inspector 
Clerk 


Sixth  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  Louisville,  Ky. 
i.    Supervising  Inspector  i 

1.  Louisville,   Ky. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2 
Clerk  i 

2.  Evansville,   Ind. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors   2 
Clerk  i 

3.  Memphis,  Tenn. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors  2 
Clerk  i 

4.  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2 
Clerk  I 


105 

2,100 
1,400 


3450 

2,350 
1,200 

2,100 
1,400 


3450 

2,700 

2,350 
1,500 
1,200 
1,000 


1,000 

2,IOO 
2,100 
1,200 
I,OOO 

2,500 
2,IOO 
1,320 

2,500 
2,350 
1,400 
1,000 


3450 

2,IOO" 
1,500 

2,  TOO 
1,000 

2,IOO 
1,000 

2,100 
1,000 


io6         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

8.  Seventh  Supervising  Inspection 

District,   Pittsburgh,   Pa. 
i.    Supervising  Inspector  I  3,45C 

1.  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  i,5oc 

2.  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  i,2oc 

3.  Point  Pleasant,  W.  Va. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  i,2oc 

9.  Eighth  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  Detroit,  Mich, 
i.    Supervising  Inspector  i  3,45c 

1.  Detroit,  Mich. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,350 

Assistant    Inspector                  6  2,iO( 

Clerk                                            i  i,5oc 

2  9oc 

2.  Chicago,  111. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,500 

Assistant    Inspector                  5 a  2,100 

Clerk                                           i  i,26c 

i  QOC 

3.  Duluth,  Minn. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector  2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  1,400 

4.  Grand  Haven,  Mich. 

Board    of   Local   Inspectors  2  2,5oc 

Assistant  Inspector  2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  i,4oc 

5.  Marquette,  Mich. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  1,200 

6.  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Board    of   Local   Inspectors   2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector  4  2,ioc 

Clerk  i  i,4oc 

i  i,ooc 

7.  Port  Huron,  Mich. 

Board  of  Local   Inspectors   2  2,350 

Clerk  i  1,320 

10.    Ninth  Supervising  Inspection 

District,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

i.    Supervising  Inspector  I  3,450 

i.    Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2  2,500 

Assistant  Inspector  iob  2,100 

a  Including  Assistant  Inspector  assigned  to  boiler  plate  inspection. 
b  Including  Assistant  Inspector  detailed  for  boiler  plate  inspection. 


II, 


OUTLINE  OF  ORGANIZATION 
Clerk 


2.    Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Board   of   Local    Inspectors  2 

Assistant  Inspector  8a 

Clerk  i 


3.  Burlington,  Vt. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors     2 

4.  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2 
Clerk  i 

5.  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Board   of    Local   Inspectors   2 
Assistant  Inspector  2 

Clerk  i 

Tenth  Supervising  Inspection 
District,  New  Orleans,  La. 

i.    Supervising  Inspector  i 

i.    New  Orleans,  La. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2 
Assistant    Inspector  6 

Clerk  i 


2.  Apalachicola,  Fla. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

3.  Galveston,   Tex. 

Board   of   Local    Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

4.  Mobile,  Ala. 

Board  of  Local  Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

5.  San  Juan,  P.  R. 

Board   of   Local    Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 

6.  Tampa,  Fla. 

Board   of   Local    Inspectors  2 

Clerk  i 
12.    Eleventh   Supervising  Inspection 

District,   Seattle,  Wash, 

i.    Supervising  Inspector  i 
i.    Seattle,  Wash. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors  2 
Assistant    Inspector                16 

Clerk  2 

2 

Including  Assistant  Inspector  detailed  for  boiler  plate  inspection. 


107 
1,400 

1,200 
I,OOO 

2,700 
2,100 
1,380 
1,200 
I,OOO 

2,IOO 

2,350 
1,000 

2,100 
2,IOO 
I,40O 


3450 

2,700 

2,350 
1,500 
I,20O 
1,000 

2,100 
1,000 

2,100 
1,400 

2,350 
1,400 

2,500 
1,000 

2,IOO 
1,000 


3,450 

2,700 
2,100 
1,400 
1,000 


io8         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

i  90 

2.  Juneau,  Alaska. 

Board   of   Local   Inspectors   2  2,50 

Clerk  i  1,50 

3.  St.  Michael,  Alaska. 

Board  of   Local   Inspectors   2  2,50* 

Clerk  i  i,SO' 


APPENDIX  2 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  ACTIVITIES 
EXPLANATORY  NOTE 

The  Classifications  of  Activities  have  for  their  purpose  to 
list  and  classify  in  all  practicable  detail  the  specific  activi- 
ties engaged  in  by  the  several  services  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment. Such  statements  are  of  value  from  a  number  of 
standpoints.  They  furnish,  in  the  first  place,  the  most  effec- 
tive showing  that  can  be  made  in  brief  compass  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  work  performed  by  the  service  to  which  they 
relate.  Secondly,  they  lay  the  basis  for  a  system  of  account- 
ing and  reporting  that  will  permit  the  showing  of  total  ex- 
penditures classified  according  to  activities.  Finally,  taken 
collectively,  they  make  possible  the  preparation  of  a  general 
or  consolidated  statement  of  the  activities  of  the  Government 
as  a  whole.  Such  a  statement  will  reveal  in  detail,  not  only 
what  the  Government  is  doing,  but  the  services  in  which  the 
work  is  being  performed.  For  example,  one  class  of  acti- 
vities that  would  probably  appear  in  such  a  classification  is 
that  of  "scientific  research."  A  subhead  under  this  class 
would  be  ' 'chemical  research."  Under  this  head  would  appear 
the  specific  lines  of  investigation  under  way  and  the  services 
in  which  they  were  being  prosecuted.  It  is  hardly  necessary 
to  point  out  the  value  of  such  information  in  planning  for 
future  work  and  in  considering  the  problem  of  the  better  dis- 
tribution and  coordination  of  the  work  of  the  Government. 
The  Institute  contemplates  attempting  such  a  general  listing 
and  classification  of  the  activities  of  the  Government  upon 
the  completion  of  the  present  series. 

109 


no         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  ACTIVITIES 

1.  Inspection 

1.  Inspection  of  vessels 

1.  Inspection  of  hulls 

2.  Inspection  of  boilers 

3.  Inspection  of  equipment 

4.  Issuance  of  certificates  of  inspection 

5.  Reinspection  of  vessels 

2.  Inspection  and  approval  of  boiler  plates 

3.  Inspection  and  approval  of  equipment 

4.  Inspection  for  other  departments 

2.  Examination,    licensing,    and    classification    of    marin 
officers 

3.  Examination  and  certification  of  seamen  and  life-boc 
men 

4.  Determination    of    ships'    complement    and    accomodc 
tions  therefor 

5.  Conduct  of  investigations  of  marine  casualties  and  vie 
lations  of  the  inspection  laws 

i.  Suspension  and  revocation  of  certificates  and  license 

6.  Establishment  of  regulations  to  prevent  collisions 

7.  Regulation  of  marine  transportation 

1.  Passengers 

1.  Determination  of  ship's  passenger  allowance 

i.  Issuance  of  special  permits  to  excursio 
steamers 

2.  Inspection  of  passenger  accommodations 

2.  Merchandise 

1.  Administration   of   laws   concerning  shipmer 
of  dangerous  articles 

2.  Issuance  of  special  permits  to  vessels  carryin 
explosives 


APPENDIX  3 


PUBLICATIONS 

Annual  Report.  The  annual  report  gives  general  informa- 
tion regarding  the  work  of  the  service  during  the  fiscal  year 
to  which  it  relates.  In  addition  it  contains  a  brief  financial 
statement,  recommendations  for  the  improvement  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  service,  and  an  appendix  devoted  to  general 
statistical  data  relating  to  the  work  of  the  service. 

Laws  Governing  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service.  This 
publication  is  issued  from  time  to  time,  as  important  amend- 
ments are  made  to  the  inspection  laws,  in  accordance  with 
R.  S.  Section  4494,  which  provides  that  "every  master  or 
commander  of  any  steam- vessel  carrying  passengers  shall 
keep  on  board  of  such  vessel  at  least  two  copies  of  the  pro- 
visions of  this  Title  (Title  LII — Regulation  of  Steam  Ves- 
sels) to  be  furnished  to  him  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce; 
and  if  the  master  or  commander  neglects  or  refuses  to  do 
so,  or  shall  unreasonably  refuse  to  exhibit  a  copy  of  the  same 
to  any  passenger  who  asks  for  it  he  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty 
of  twenty  dollars." 

Steamboat-Inspection  Service  Bulletin.  This  bulletin,  is- 
sued monthly,  contains  the  rulings  of  the  central  office  con- 
cerning the  administration  or  the  inspection  laws  and  the 
rules  and  regulations  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  and  is  dis- 
tributed to  inspectors,  customs  officers,  steamboat  companies, 
and  marine-boiler  manufacturers. 

General  Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  Board  of  Supervis- 
ing Inspectors.  The  general  Rules  and  Regulations  pre- 

iii 


ii2         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

scribed  by  the  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors  are  divide 
into  four  books,  namely,  (i)  Ocean  and  coastwise,  (2)  Grec 
Lakes,  (3)  Bays,  sounds,  and  lakes  other  than  the  Grec 
Lakes,  and  (4)  Rivers.  Revised  editions  of  the  rules  an 
regulations  are  issued  following  the  annual  meeting  of  th 
board,  and  are  furnished  to  all  inspectors  of  the  service  a 
well  as  other  concerned.  Such  rules  and  regulations,  whe: 
approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  have  the  force  o 
law  and  must  be  observed  accordingly. 

Amendments  and  Supplements  to  General  Rules  and  Reg 
ulations.  Important  changes  or  additions  made  in  the  rule 
and  regulations  governing  the  service  made  by  the  board  o 
supervising  inspectors  at  special  meetings  called  during  th< 
year  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  or  by  the  executive  com 
mittee  of  the  said  board,  are  distributed  in  the  form  of  sup 
plements  until  incorporated  in  a  revised  edition  of  the  Genera 
Rules  and  Regulations. 

Pilot  Rules.  Rules  prescribed  by  the  board  of  supervising 
inspectors  to  be  observed  by  vessels  in  passing  each  othei 
are  divided  into  three  books,  namely,  ( i )  for  the  Great  Lake; 
and  Their  Connecting  and  Tributary  Waters  as  far  East  a< 
Montreal,  (2)  for  Certain  Inland  Waters  of  the  Atlantic  anc 
Pacific  Coasts  and  of  the  Coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  anc 
(3)  for  the  Rivers  whose  Waters  Flow  into  the  Gulf  oi 
Mexico  and  Their  Tributaries  and  for  the  Red  River  of  the 
North.  Revised  editions  are  published  from  time  to  time  as 
important  amendments  or  additions  are  made  to  such  rules. 

List  of  Officers  of  Merchant,  Steam,  Motor,  and  Sail  Ves- 
sels Licensed  During  the  Year.  Each  year,  for  the  informa- 
tion of  inspectors  and  others  concerned,  the  central  office  of  the 
service  issues  a  list  of  all  marine  officers  licensed  by  local 
boards  of  inspectors  during  the  past  fiscal  year. 


APPENDIX  4 

LAWS 
(A)  INDEX  TO  LAWS 

Creation 

Present  Service  established  16   Stat.    L.,  440 
Personnel 

Positions  established 

Supervising  Inspector-General  40   Stat.  L.,  739 

Deputy    Supervising   Inspector-General  40   Stat.   L.,  740 

Traveling  Inspector  40  Stat.  L.,  741 

Supervising  Inspectors  40  Stat.   L.,  740 

Board  of  33       Stat.  L., 

1022 

Inspector  of  Hulls  4°   Stat.   L.,  740 

Inspector  of  Boilers  40  Stat.   L.,  740 

Assistant   Inspector  4°  Stat.  L.,  741 

Clerk  of  Local  Board  40  Stat.  L.,  741 
Method  of  Appointment  of 

Supervising  Inspector-General  4°   Stat.  L.,  739 

Deputy    Supervising   Inspector-General  40  Stat.   L.,  740 

Traveling  Inspector  4°       Stat.  L., 

74ia 

Supervising  Inspector  4°   Stat.   L.,  740 

Inspector  of  Hulls  4°       Stat.  L., 

74oa 

Inspector  of  Boilers  4°       Stat.       L., 

740a 

Assistant  Inspector  4°       Stat.       L., 

74ia 
Clerks  of  Local  Boards  4°       Stat.       L., 

74ia 

Qualifications   of 

Supervising  Inspector-General  4°  Stat.  L.,  739 

Supervising  Inspector  40   Stat.   L.,  740 

Inspector  of  Hulls  33       Stat.       L., 

1028 

Inspector  of  Boilers  33       Stat.       L., 

1029 

'Act  of  January  16,  1883,  (Civil  Service  Act)  was  expressly  made  ap- 
plicable to  the  appointment  of  inspectors  of  hulls  and  boilers,  assistant 
inspectors,  and  clerks  by  executive  order  issued  March  2,  1806.  Traveling 
inspectors  are  also  under  the  classified  civil  service. 

"3 


ii4         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 


Duties  of 

Supervising  Inspector-General 
Deputy  Supervising  Inspector-General 
Supervising  Inspector 

Board  of 


Inspector  of  Hulls 
Inspector  of  Boilers 

Salaries  of 

Supervising  Inspector-General 
Deputy   Supervising   Inspector-General 
Traveling  Inspector 
Supervising  Inspector 
Inspector  of  Hulls 
Inspector  of  Boilers 
Assistant  Inspector 
Clerk  of  Local  Board 
Activities 

Inspection  of  Vessels 

Vessels  subject  to  inspection 


Inspection  of  hulls 


Inspection  of  boilers 


Inspection   of  equipment 


16  Stat.  L.,  45 

40  Stat.  L.,  74 

16  Stat.  L.,  44* 

37  Stat.  L.,  ni 

33  Stat.  L. 
1022 

34  Stat.  L.,  88 
33       Stat.  L. 

1023 

33       Stat.  L. 
1027 

40  Stat.  L.,  73» 

40  Stat.  L.,  741 

40  Stat.  L.,  74: 

40  Stat.  L.,  74< 

40  Stat.  L.,  74< 

40  Stat.  Lv  74( 

40  Stat.  L.,  74] 

40  Stat.  L.,  74] 

16  Stat.  L.,  455 

456 

26  Stat.  L.,  i8c 

29  Stat.  L.,  6gc 

33  Stat.  L. 
1023 

34  Stat.   L.,  68 
69 

34  Stat.   L.,  194 

35  Stat.  L.,  428 

36  Stat.  L.,  462 

41  Stat.  L.,  305 
16  Stat.  L.,  456 

33  Stat.  L.. 
1023 

34  Stat.   L.,  194 

35  Stat.   L.,  428 
16  Stat.  L.,  431. 

452 

16  Stat.  L.,  456 

22  Stat.  L.,  310 

33  Stat.  L., 
1027 

34  Stat.  L.,  194 

35  Stat.  L.,  687 

36  Stat.  L.,  462 
16  Stat.  L.,  440- 

458 

24  Stat.  L.,  129 


LAWS  115 

25    Stat.   L.,  564 

33       Stat.  L., 

1023 

33       Stat.  L., 

1024,  1025 

33       Stat.  L., 

1028 

33  Stat.  L., 
1031 

34  Stat   L.,   194 
34  Stat.   L.,  797 
36   Stat.   L.,  463 

38  Stat.       L., 
1170,  1185 

39  Stat.   L.,  224 
Issuance  of  Certificate  of  Inspection                     38       Stat.       L., 

1216,  1218 

40  Stat.    L.,   602 
Reinspection  of  vessels                                             33        Stat.        L., 

1023,  1024 
Inspection  and  Approval  of  Boiler  Plates  16  Stat.  L.,  451, 

452 

22  Stat.   L.,  310 

28  Stat.  L.,  28 

Examination,   Licensing,   and   Classification   of 

Marine  Officers  16  Stat.  L.,  446, 

447 
16   Stat.   L.,  455 

23  Stat.   L.,   53 

29  Stat.   L.,    1 88 

30  Stat.  L.,  764, 

765 

31  Stat.  L.,  50 
34  Stat.  L.,  194 
34  Stat.  L.,  897 

34  Stat.  L.,  1411 

35  Stat.   L.,  425 

36  Stat.   L.,  463 
38  Stat.   L.,  699 
38  Stat.   L.,  765 
38  Stat.  L.,  893, 

894 

40  Stat.   L.,  602 

Examination  and  Certification  of  Seamen  38  Stat.  L.,  1170 

Examination  and  Certification  of  Life-boat  Men     38  Stat.    L.,  1182 

Determination  of  Ship's  Complement  and  Ac- 
commodations Therefor  33  Stat.  L.,  1023 

38  Stat.  L.,  1165, 

1166 

38  Stat.  L.,  1169, 
1181 


ii6         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

40  Stat.  L.,  54 
550 

Conduct  of  Investigations   of  Marine   Casualties  16  Stat.  L.,  44; 
and  Violations  of  the  Inspection  Laws  449 

16  Stat.  L.,  45< 

457 
35  Stat.  L.,  114 

37  Stat.  L.,  78 

38  Stat.   L.,  76 
Establishment  of  Regulations  to  Prevent  Collisions  13  Stat.  L.,  58,  6 

16  Stat.  L.,  45< 

454 
26  Stat.  L.,  320 

328  a 

26  Stat.  L.,  425 
28  Stat.  L.,  82,  8 
28  Stat.  L.,  64f 

650 

28  Stat.   L.,  68 

29  Stat.   L.,  38 
29   Stat.   L.,  48 

29  Stat.   L.,  69 

30  Stat.  L.,  96 

103 

31  Stat.   L.,  30 

34  Stat.   L.,  85. 

38  Stat.   L.,  38 
Regulation    of    Marine    Transportation 

Determination  of  Ship's  Passenger  Allowance 

and  Accomodations  Therefor  16  Stat.  L.,  44; 

22  Stat.  L.,  I&6- 

191 

24  Stat.  L.,  i2( 
31  Stat.  L.,  8o'( 
33  Stat.  L.,  71: 

35  Stat.  L.,  42 1 
35  Stat.  L.,  583 

584 

39  Stat.   L.,  9i£ 
41    Stat.   L.,  99* 

Issuance     of     Special     Permits     to     Excursion 

Steamers  24  Stat.   L.,   125 

39  Stat.  L.,  918 

919 
Issuance  of  Special  Permits  to  Vessels  carrying 

Gunpowder  38  Stat.  L.,  1217 

"  This  act  went  into  effect  on  July  i,  1897,  in  accordance  with  a  Presi- 
dential Proclamation  issued  on  Dec.  31,  1896  (29  Stat.  L.,  885). 

b  This  act  went  into  effect  on  Dec.  15,  1890,  in  accordance  with  a  Presi- 
dential Proclamation  issued  on  Nov.  18,  1890  (26  Stat.  L.,  1561). 


LAWS  117 

Regulations   for   Carrying   Dangerous   Articles     14  Stat.  L.,  81,  82 

16  Stat.  L.,  441, 


33  Stat.  L.,  1031, 

1032 

34  Stat.  L.,  204 
•  37  Stat.  L.,  650 

38  Stat.  L.,  511 

38  Stat.  L.,  766 

40  Stat.  L.,  499 


(B)   COMPILATION  OF  LAWS  AND  REGULATIONS 

The  laws  governing  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  are 
compiled  and  published  by  the  Department  of  Commerce  under 
the  title : 

Department  of  Commerce:  Steamboat-Inspection  Service. 
Laws  Governing  The  Steamboat-Inspection  Service. 

Revised  Statutes  of  the  United  States  as  Modified  by  the 
Act  of  Congress  Approved  March  4,  1913,  Establishing  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  and  Other  Acts  of  Congress. 

Washington,  Government  Printing  Office. 

As  the  laws,  regarding  this  service  are  thus  readily  avail- 
ible  in  printed  form,  and  as  their  content  has  been  summarized 
in  describing  the  activities  of  the  service,  they  are  not  repro- 
duced here. 

The  regulations  of  the  service  are  also  compiled  and  pub- 
ished  by  the  Department  of  Commerce,  under  the  title : 

Department   of   Commerce:    Steamboat-Inspection    Service 

Ocean  and  Coastwise 

General  Rules  and  Regulations  Prescribed  by  the  Board  of 
Supervising  Inspectors  as  Amended  at  Board  Meeting  of 
[anuary,  1920. 

Edition:  May  14,  1920. 

Washington,  Government  Printing  Office,  1920. 

Similar  compilations  are  made  of  the  rules  and  regulations 
pertaining  to  the  Great  Lakes,  Rivers,  and  to  Bays,  Sounds, 
ind  Lakes  other  than  the  Great  Lakes.  These  regulations 


ii8         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

differ  from  ordinary  administrative  regulations  in  that  they 

relate  primarily  to  the  relations  of  the  service  to  the  public 

and  when  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce,  have  all 

the  force  of  law. 

As  these  regulations  are  thus  readily  available  in  printed 

form  they  are  not  reproduced  here. 
The  provisions  of  current  appropriation  acts  relating  to  the 

service  are  given  below: 

1921 — Act  of  March  3,  1921  (41  Stat.  L.,  1253,  1298) — 
An  Act  Making  appropriations  for  the  legislative, 
executive,  and  judicial  expenses  of  the  Government 
for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1922,  and  for 
other  purposes. 

*         *         *         * 

Steamboat-Inspection  Service:  Supervising  Inspector  General, 
$5,000;  Deputy  Supervising  Inspector  General,  $3,000;  private  sec- 
retary, $1,500;  clerks — one  of  class  four,  two  of  class  three,  one  of 
class  two,  two  of  class  one,  two  at  $1,000  each,  two  at  $900  each; 
messenger;  in  all,  $22,940. 

Steamboat  inspectors:  For  eleven  supervising  inspectors,  at  $3,450 
each,  $37,950. 

Inspectors  of  hulls  and  inspectors  of  boilers,  as  authorized  by  law 
$225,900; 

Assistant  inspectors,  as  authorized  by  law,  for  the  following  ports ; 
New  York,  forty  at  $2,500  each;  New  Orleans,  six  at  $2,350  each; 
Baltimore,  ten  at  $2,350  each;  Providence,  four  at  $2,350  each; 
Boston,  ten  at  $2,350  each;  Philadelphia,  sixteen  at  $2,350  each; 
San  Francisco,  sixteen  at  $2,350  each;  Buffalo,  eight  at  $2,100  each; 
Cleveland,  ten  at  $2,100  each;  Milwaukee,  four  at  $2,100  each; 
Chicago,  five  at  $2,100  each;  Grand  Haven,  two  at  $2,100  each; 
Detroit,  six  at  $2,100  each;  Norfolk,  ten  at  $2,100  each;  Seattle, 
sixteen  at  $2,100  each;  Portland  (Oregon),  six  at  $2,100  each; 
Albany  (New  York),  two  at  $2,100  each;  Duluth,  two  at  $2,100 
each;  Portland  (Maine),  two  at  $2,100  each;  New  London,  two  at 
$2,100  each;  Los  Angeles,  two  at  $2,100  each;  New  Haven,  two  at 
$2,100  each;  Savannah,  two  at  $2>,ioo  each;  Toledo,  two  at  $2,100 
each;  three  traveling  inspectors  at  $3,000  each;  $429,000; 

In  all,   for  inspectors,   Steamboat-Inspection   Service,  $692,850. 

Clerk  hire,  service  at  large:  For  compensation,  not  exceeding 
$1,500  a  year  to  each  person,  of  clerks  to  boards  of  steamboat  in- 
spectors, to  be  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  in  accord- 
ance with  the  provisions  of  law,  $115,000. 

Contingent  expenses:  For  fees  to  witnesses;  traveling  and  other 
expenses  when  on  official  business  of  the  Supervising  Inspector 
General,  Deputy  Supervising  Inspector  General,  supervising  inspec- 


LAWS  119 

tors,  traveling  inspectors,  local  and  assistant  inspectors,  and  clerks; 
instruments,  furniture,  stationery,  janitor  service,  and  every  other 
thing  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of  Title  52,  Re- 
vised Statutes,  $160,000. 

1921 — Act  of  June  16,  1921  (Public  No.  18,  67th  Cong.) — 
An  Act  Making  appropriations  to  supply  deficiencies 
in  appropriations  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 
1921,  and  prior  fiscal  years,  and  for  other  purposes. 


STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Contingent  expenses:  For  fees  to  witnesses;  traveling  and  other 
expenses  when  on  official  business  of  the  Supervising  Inspector 
General,  Deputy  Supervising  Inspector  General,  supervising  inspec- 
tors, traveling  inspectors,  local  and  assistant  inspectors,  and  clerks; 
instruments,  furniture,  stationery,  janitor  service,  and  every  other 
thing  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of  Title  52,  Re- 
vised Statutes,  $5,000,  to  continue  available  during  the  fiscal  year 
1922. 


APPENDIX  5 

FINANCIAL  STATEMENTS 
EXPLANATORY  NOTE 

Statements  showing  appropriations,  receipts,  expenditures 
and  other  financial  data  for  a  series  of  years  constitute  the 
most  effective  single  means  of  exhibiting  the  growth  and 
development  of  a  service.  Due  to  the  fact  that  Congress  has 
adopted  no  uniform  plan  of  appropriation  for  the  several  ser- 
vices and  that  the  latter  employ  no  uniform  plan  in  respect  to 
the  recording  and  reporting  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures, 
it  is  impossible  to  present  data  of  this  character  according  to 
any  standard  scheme  of  presentation.  In  the  case  of  some 
services  the  administrative  reports  contain  tables  showing 
financial  conditions  and  operations  of  the  service  in  consider- 
able detail;  in  others  financial  data  are  almost  wholly  lacking. 
Careful  study  has  in  all  cases  been  made  of  such  data  as 
are  available,  and  the  effort  has  been  made  to  present  the 
results  in  such  a  form  as  will  exhibit  the  financial  operations 
of  the  services  in  the  most  effective  way  that  circumstances 
permit. 

Prior  to  July  i,  1887,  the  Steamboat-Inspection  Service  was 
supported  by  the  receipts  paid  into  the  Treasury  for 
certificates  of  inspection,  issued  by  the  service  to  owners  of 
steam  vessels,  and  licenses  issued  to  marine  officers.  The 
early  annual  reports  of  the  bureau  indicate  that  these  receipts 
were  more  than  adequate  to  cover  the  expenditures.  Since 
1887  this  work  has  been  done  free  of  charge,  and  until 
1911  the  service  received  a  permanent  indefinite  appropriation 
based  on  the  amount  of  work  performed.  Subsequent  to  1912 

120 


FINANCIAL  STATEMENTS  121 

the  service  has  received  regular  annual  appropriations  from 
Congress.  In  addition  it  has  benefited  from  the  appropria- 
tions for  "Contingent  Expenses  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce" for  rent,  light,  etc. 

In  the  following  statements  appropriations  include  only 
those  amounts  made  directly  for  the  benefit  of  the  service. 
No  account  is  taken  of  appropriations  for  "certified  claims" 
made  as  a  result  of  the  exhaustion  or  lapse  of  an  appropria- 
tion. These  are  generally  small.  The  expenditures  for  the 
fiscal  years  1887  to  1912  and  for  the  fiscal  year  1920  are 
figured  on  a  cash  basis.  Those  for  the  fiscal  years  1912  to 
1919  are  figured  on  the  accrual  basis,  that  is,  the  statement 
shows  all  expenditures  on  account  of  the  appropriations  for 
the  year  mentioned  regardless  of  whether  the  disbursements 
were  made  during  the  current  fiscal  year  or  in  the  two  succeed- 
ing fiscal  years  during  which  the  money  was  available.  The 
"expenditures"  for  1919  show  the  amounts  expended  out 
of  the  1919  appropriation  during  the  fiscal  years  1919  and 
1920. 


122 


STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 


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1 

*  Data  from  Digest  of  Appropriations. 

**  Data    from    Treasury's   Combined    Statement. 

*  Includes    fees    to    witnesses,    traveling    expenses    of    inspectors,    supplies,    etc. 
b  Includes  $5.000.00   available   in   1022, 


APPENDIX  6 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  * 

STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 
EXPLANATORY  NOTE 

The  bibliographies  appended  to  the  several  monographs  ai 
to  list  only  those  works  which  deal  directly  with  the  servic 
to  which  they  relate,  their  history,  activities,  organizatio 
methods  of  business,  problems,  etc.  They  are  intended  pi 
marily  to  meet  the  needs  of  these  persons  who  desire  to  mal 
a  further  study  of  the  services  from  an  administrative  stan 
point.  They  thus  do  not  include  the  titles  of  publications  < 
the  services  themselves,  except  in  so  far  as  they  treat  of  tl 
services,  their  work  and  problems.  Nor  do  they  include  boo! 
or  articles  dealing  merely  with  technical  features  other  the 
administrative  of  the  work  of  the  services.  In  a  few  cas« 
explanatory  notes  have  been  appended  where  it  was  thougj 
they  would  aid  in  making  known  the  character  or  value  of  tl 
publication  to  which  they  relate. 

After  the  completion  of  the  series  the  bibliographies  may  I 
assembled  and  separately  published  as  a  bibliography  of  tl 
Administrative  Branch  of  the  National  Government. 
My  rick,  N.  S.     Steamboat  inspection  service.     Report  to  tf 

National  chamber's  committee  .  .  .   [Washington]    Chan 

ber  of  commerce  of  the  U.  S.,  1916.     166  p. 
Scott,  Charles  L.     Speech  ...  on  the  steamboat  passeng* 

bill  .  .  .  Feb.  10,  1858.     Washington,  Congressional  glot 

office,  1858.     8  p. 

1  Compiled  by.  M.  Alice  Matthews. 

124 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  125 

Steamboat  inspection  service.  Nation,  Aug.  19,  1915,  v.  101 : 
221. 

Sweet,  Edwin  F.  The  work  of  the  steamboat-inspection 
service.  Nation's  business,  July  15,  1915:  12-13. 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  education.  Guide  to  United  States  govern- 
ment publications  .  .  .  Washington,  Govt.  print,  off.,  1918. 
206  p. 

"Steamboat-inspection  service,"  p.  114-115. 

Congress.     House.     Committee   on  merchant   marine 

and  fisheries.     Changing  name  of  the  Steamboat  inspec- 
tion service  to  Marine  inspection  service.     Jan.  28,  1916. 
Report  to  accompany  H.  R.  4784.     [Washington,  1916] 
I  p. 

Hearing  ...  on  the  bills  H.  R.  12351  and 

18682,  to  provide  for  the  better  security  of  lives  of 
passengers  and  crews  on  board  vessels  of  the  United 
States.  Washington,  Govt.  print,  off.,  1910.  97  p. 

Hearings  ...  on    House    bills     19405, 

19406,   and   19407,  to  increase  salaries  ...  in  Steam- 
boat-inspection service.     March  21,  1912.     Washington, 
Govt.  print,  off.,  1912.     17  p. 

Increase  of  salaries  of  Clerks  in  the  Steam- 


boat-inspection service.  Hearings  .  .  .  on  H.  R.  4286  and 
H.  R.  5010  .  .  .  Jan.  17,  18,  24  and  31,  1918.  Washing- 
ton, Govt.  print,  off.,  1918.  77  p. 

Inspection    of    steam    vessels.     [Hearings 


on  H.  R.  24025,  May  2,  1912.     Washington,  Govt.  print, 
off.,  1912]     24  p. 

Dept.  of  commerce.    Steamboat  inspection  service  (In 


its  Department  of  commerce,  condensed  history,  duties,  and 
practical  operation  .  .  .  Washington,  1913.     p.  163-211) 

—  Laws,  statutes,  etc.     Laws  governing  the  Steamboat- 
inspection  service  .  .  .     Ed.  July  21,  1920.     Washington, 
Govt.  print,  off.,  1921.     91  p. 

—  Steamboat-inspection  service.     Annual  report  of  the 
supervising    inspector-general,     Washington,    Govt.    print, 
off.,  1872- 


126         STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION  SERVICE 

Bays,  sounds,  and  lakes  other  than  the  Grea 

Lakes.  General  rules  and  regulations  ...  as  amended  a 
board  meeting  of  Jan.,  1921  .  .  .  Edition:  May  9,  1921 
Washington,  Govt.  print,  off.,  1921.  154  p. 

Great  Lakes.  General  rules  and  regulations  pre 

scribed  by  the  Board  of  supervising  inspectors  as  amende' 
.  .  .  Ed:  May  9,  1921.  Washington,  Govt.  print,  off 
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sounds.  General  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  th 
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for  1905.     Washington,  1905.     p.  14-15) 

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Pilot    rules    for   certain    inland    waters    of   th( 


Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  and  of  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  o1 
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Pilot  rules  for  the  Great  Lakes  and  their  con- 
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Pilot  rules  for  the  rivers  whose  waters  flow  intc 

the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  their  tributaries  and  the  Red  River 
of  the  North.  Edition:  Aug.  i,  1917.  Washington,  Govt. 
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Preliminary  report,    Committee   of  supervising 

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Eugene  E.  O'Donnell,  chairman  of  committee]  [Wash- 
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BIBLIOGRAPHY  127 

Washington,  Govt.  print,  off.,  1869- 
Proceedings    of    the    Special    meetings    of    the 

Board    of    supervising    inspectors    of    steam    vessels  .  .  . 

Washington,  Govt.  print,  off.,  1866- 
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144  p. 

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[Synopsis  of  rulings  issued  during  the  month] 
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"Steamboat-inspection  service,"  p.  49-57. 


INDEX 


Vdministration,  general,  80-83, 
96-99. 

Vmerican  Bureau  of  Shipping, 
rules  of,  for  material  and  con- 
struction, accepted,  33-35. 

toiler  plates,  inspection  of,  man- 
ufacture of,  12,  30-31,  46n,  48, 
83-84. 

toilers,  inspection  of,  2,  14,  15, 

22,  35-37,  51-53- 

'argo,  hazardous,  license  require- 
ments, 4-23,  75-79. 

Certification,  of  life-boat  men  and 
seamen,  26,  30,  57-8. 

^ivil  Service,  classified,  employ- 
ees (except  presidential)  placed 
in,  13. 

'ollectors  of  customs,  powers  and 
duties  of,  4,  11,  12,  16,  43,  44, 
64,  65-67,  72,  74. 

Collisions,  adoption  of  interna- 
tional rules  for  prevention  of, 
n,  68;  establishment  of  regula- 
tions to  prevent,  9,  30,  67-69. 

'olor-blindness,  examination  re- 
quirements, 23. 

Commerce,  Department  of,  juris- 
diction of,  over  Service,  23,  80- 
81,  98. 

,'ommerce,  Secretary  of,  may  de- 
tail assistant  inspectors,  12,  19, 
49>  83 ;  may  call  committee  to 
consider  interim  regulations, 
19-20,  89 ;  to  pass  upon  rules  to 
govern  life-saving  appliances, 
25;  may  except  foreign  pri- 
vate steam  passenger  vessels 


from  inspection  laws,  30;  may 
direct  inspection  of  foreign  ves- 
sels admitted  to  American  reg- 
istry, 30-31 ;  to  prescribe  life- 
saving  equipment  for  motor- 
boats,  39,  42;  may  pass  upon 
rules  to  govern  steering  appa- 
ratus and  fire-extinguishing 
equipment,  41 ;  to  pass  upon 
safety  equipment  for  steam  ves- 
sels, 42;  may  make  regulations 
to  govern  license  appeal  pro- 
cedure, 45 ;  may  act  on  appeals, 
47-48,  8 1 ;  may  pass  upon  meth- 
ods of  inspection  of  boiler  plate 
manufacture,  48-49;  to  provide 
for  issuance  of  certificates  to 
life-boatmen,  58-59;  to  deter- 
mine boundary  between  high 
seas  and  waters  under  local 
jurisdiction,  6gn-,  reports  to  be 
made  to,  74,  81,  85 ;  to  pass  up- 
on regulations  to  govern  haz- 
ardous cargo,  76;  may  make 
rules  to  govern  use  of  fuel-oil 
and  grant  permits  therefor,  77 ; 
to  pass  upon  rules  to  govern  oil 
stores,  78;  may  convene  board 
to  determine  tow  and  hawser 
lengths,  81. 

Complements,  ships',  determina- 
tion of,  21,  58-60. 

Construction,  inspection  of,  12, 
30- 

Deputy  Supervising  Inspector- 
General,  office  established,  24; 
appointment  of,  81-82;  powers 
and  duties  of,  24,  82. 


129 


130 


INDEX 


Equipment,  inspection  of,  i,  15, 
22,  30,  37-43,  49-51. 

Equipment,  minimum  require- 
ments, 2,  3,  4,  14,  30,  37-43. 

Examination,  of  marine  officers, 
I5>  30,  53-575  of  seamen  and 
life-boatmen,  30,  57-8. 

Fees,  covered  into  Treasury,  4, 

11-12. 

Field  service,  84-96. 
Fire-prevention,  2,  4,   18-19,  23, 

41-43. 

Hulls,  inspection  of,  I,  2,  14,  15, 
31-35. 

Inspectors,  assistant,  created,  12- 
13;  subordinate  to  local  inspec- 
tors, 19,  92-93 ;  may  be  assigned 
to  boiler  plate  inspection,  12, 
48-49,  83-84,  93. 

Inspectors,  local,  created,  2 ;  qual- 
ifications of,  2,  9,  91 ;  appoint- 
ment of,  2,  4;  compensation  of, 
2,  4,  12,  19,  44;  supervision  of, 
3-4;  powers  and  duties  of,  2, 
9,  11,  21,  31-60,  67-73,  76,  82- 
83,  89-9!. 

Inspectors,  local  boards  of,  cre- 
ated, 4,  9,  n,  15;  powers  and 
duties  of,  2,  11,  26,  43-45,  49> 
53-55,  57,  60-63,  73,  85-86,  92. 

Inspectors  of  boilers,  see  Inspec- 
tors, local. 

Inspectors  of  hulls,  see  Inspec- 
tors, local. 

Inspectors  of  foreign  steam  ves- 
sels, created,  n;  abolished,  12. 

Inspectors,  supervising,  created, 
3;  qualifications  of,  3,  84;  ap- 
pointment of,  3,  84 ;  removal  of, 
4;  compensation  of,  4,  84; 
powers  and  duties  of,  3,  4, 
19,  21,  23,  24,  44-45,  47,  48, 
49-51,  55,  73,  77,  85-86;  dis- 
tricts of,  87-88. 


Inspectors,  supervising,  board  o 
created,  3;  powers  and  duti< 
°f,  3,  5,  8,  9,  18,  19-20,  23,  2 
S2,  36-37,  39-48,  55,  59,  67-6 
76,  78,  88-89. 

Inspectors,  traveling,  created,  2.L 
appointment  of,  95;  compens; 
tion  of,  95 ;  powers  and  dutic 
of,  94-96. 

Investigations,  i,  30,  60-67. 

License,  of  marine  officers,   i,  . 

9,   10,  14,  15,  19,  22,  46n,  5; 

57,  61,  66-67. 
License,  of  passenger  vessels,  : 

6,  10,  n,  22. 
License,  of  vessels  in  general,  i 

9,  10,  15,  30-31,  43. 
Life-boatmen,    examination    an< 

certification  of,  26,  30. 
Life-saving  equipment,  inspectioi 

of  manufacture  of,  49-50. 

Motor-Boat  Act,  22,  38-39,  42-43 
54,  64-65,  69. 

Passengers,  numbers  limited,  3 
6,  n,  70-73;  accommodation 
required  for,  10-11,  60,  73-75 

President,  may  suspend  law  re 
quiring  watch  officers  to  b( 
citizens,  56;  to  appoint  Super- 
vising Inspector-General,  80 
to  appoint  supervising  inspec 
tors,  84,  98. 

Reinspections,  9-10,  46-48. 

Seamen,  examination  and  certi- 
fication of,  i,  15,  25-26,  30. 

Seamen's  Act,  25,  38,  49,  59,  60. 

Ship  Registry  Act,  23. 

Supervising  Inspector-General, 
office  created,  8,  80;  qualifica- 
tions of,  8,  80;  appointment  of, 
8,  80;  compensation  of,  8,  80; 
powers  and  duties  of,  8,  9,  12, 
19-20,  21,  24,  45,  49,  56,  59,  60, 
61-62,  69,  80,  81,  83,  86,  88 


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